Simply Irresistible
by Kukaburry
Summary: A seemingly innocent girl transfers to Hogwarts with a deadly secret. Will she be able to continue her mission when a certain Slytherin is ordered to help her?
1. Chapter 1

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Harry Potter Disclaimer

Chapter 1

(This begins in Year 5. Much of the plot is altered. I am writing my own version of events. Every person's dream is to be part of the Harry Potter adventure, and this is it)

"Why dad? Why can't I stay here? I'm happy here!" Piper roared theatrically, attempting to rouse tears unsuccessfully.

"Piper love, I told you, my advisors believe Hogwarts is a much safer school than yours. Besides, it's supposed to be one of the top wizarding schools in all of Europe. You'll have fun there!" He stopped when Piper snorted. "Do you remember how much you cried about living with muggles for a year? You ended up having the time of your life with them. This will be another adventure like that!"

Piper bit her lip and nodded dully, playing up her part of 'daughter who will miss her father'. "That wasn't the same! I didn't have to leave the country and I knew the muggles too; Jordan's aunt and uncle. They don't mind wizards like other muggles do." Piper recalled her last moments of happiness before she returned to the world of wizards, when her world came crashing down.

Henry stared her down forcefully, temple throbbing. "Enough is enough Piper! I signed you up to transfer to Hogwarts and that's final." He took a steadying breath, "You'll get to meet Harry Potter you know." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

A shiver ran up Piper's spine. "So? What's so special about him? The Dark Lord never bothered America," she retorted snotily.

Her father narrowed his gaze suspiciously. "Who taught you to say 'Dark Lord'? That is what his Death-Eaters called him. I want you refer to him as 'He-who-must-not-be-named Piper," he stated firmly.

Piper's eyes widened and she frantically thought of what to say. "Oh daddy, I know! I know! I'm sorry, I've been reading too many books about him," Piper said innocently, but a dark look crossed her face nonetheless.

Henry looked satisfied, "You'll only be in England for two years to finish out your education. You can handle that can't you? Please? For your dad?"

Piper's mouth lifted slightly and she shrugged. "Sure dad."

"That's my girl." He patted her fondly on the head.

Piper trudged up to her room, trying to shake off her performance. Piper had shoulder-length chestnut brown hair, and almond-shaped green eyes. Her skin glowed a golden brown from constant sun. She practiced quidditch daily, hoping to some day play for one of the world teams and nothing gave her more joy than a new book.

Piper's plane takes off the next day at 6:00. At 16, she is still much too young to apparate and even though her father is the American Minister of Magic, she's being forced to travel to Europe in a completely magic-free fashion. She didn't mind of course. After living with muggles for a year and attending their schools, she became very angry at muggles for their narrow-mindedness about magic.

Her father's main plan in forcing her to live with muggles was to give her a greater appreciation for them. She had always made snide comments about their stupidity, but after living with them without use of her wand for a year, she had grudgingly decided that they were very advanced for such a stupid people. Upon her return home she destroyed every connection she had to the muggle world, but pretended that she had learned something. Her father never found out she had lied to him.

Piper reached her room and sat down on her bed, staring around at it for the last time. Tomorrow night, she would be sitting in her great aunt Martha's kitchen, eating strange foreign foods and feeling extremely trapped. She knew her father didn't care about her displeasure. He followed everything his advisors spewed at him, but only Piper knew their real intentions.

'Respecting' her father's position, Piper always went along with his foolproof plans: Eating dinner with the African Minister of Magic and his son, giving gushing reports to the newspapers about her father's intelligence, and pretending to be interested about who got what position in the ministry. Henry was very proud of his daughter for all her hard work. Piper knew she had to keep her image up as 'Pristine student and quidditch player' to keep her father and his advisors happy.

Nothing but pure exhaustion could have lulled Piper to sleep that night. Her dreams were filled with haughty English faces, laughing at her. She awoke with a start at 4:00 am after a dream of being caught stealing from the Minister of Magic and thrown into Azkaban.

Henry came to Piper's door, knocked on it softly and stuck his head inside. "Piper, you need to… oh, you're already up… good. We're leaving in twenty minutes. I'll put your trunk in the car. _Wingardium Leviosa_!" The trunk lifted into the air and it followed Henry out the door.

Piper groaned and threw a t-shirt and jeans on. If she knew one thing, it was that England was one of the bloodiest cold countries in the world. She slung a jacket over her arm just in case, and tucked her Ipod into her back pocket. She looked at her wand that now lay dejectedly on her night stand and wondered where she should put it. Piper took up her hand bag, threw a few shirts into it and stuffed her wand inside the mess. 'England, here I come.'

Twelve hours and four screaming children later, Piper stood inside Heathrow's continental terminal, scanning the hectic crowd for her overweight and cheerful aunt Martha. "Piper! Sweetheart, come give a kissy to your auntie," a voice bellowed above the din. A portly woman with golden blonde hair and a double chin, draped in a scarlet kimono waded through the crowd towards Piper.

"Hi Aunt Martha," Piper grinned dully, allowing herself to be swallowed in a bone-crushing hug. "Look how big you've gotten Piper. I can't believe my eyes," Aunt Martha's gaze faltered, "You look so brown dear, are you sure so much sun is healthy for you?"

Piper barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I like being tan auntie." She explained, eyeing the bustling muggles enviously. "Don't I have to check in somewhere?" She lowered her voice, "Since I'll be… you know living here?"

Martha chuckled merrily, "Of course dear, that's where we're going right after we pick up your trunk. I do wish I could use some magic here, it'd be so much simpler." She waddled towards the bag check, clucking about 'rowdy muggles'. "'Course they've got no consideration for anyone but themselves." She complained.

Piper trudged wearily after her aunt, a stolen Ipod blaring loudly in her ears and successfully drowning out her aunt's whining. It took them ten minutes to claim her trunk and nervous owl, and ten more minutes to hail a cab. "I don't know why your father is so keen on not using magic. Probably doesn't want you to show off your intelligence right from the get-go," Aunt Martha mused.

Piper turned to her aunt, attempting to phrase her comment so that it sounded natural, and not planned. "Aunt Martha. While we are at the ministry, we should stop by and greet Mr. Fudge, your Minister of Magic. I'm sure he'd be very interested to hear news from my father."

"Oh my, you're right. I would very much like to meet the minister in person myself, oh this is exciting. We'll make sure to let everyone in England know that America's ambassador is here to stay and to make contacts." Aunt Martha declared, red in the face from such exertion.

They stopped outside a very run-down and dingy building. It looked like a shack compared to the impressive buildings surrounding it. Piper had a strange feeling that the muggles couldn't see it. The inside of the building was the antithesis of the exterior. Marble floors, high, domed ceilings and gold-papered walls made it clear that the English Ministry of Magic was nothing to fool about with.

"This way pumpkin. They need to check your wand at the front desk, and then to meet with the Minister," Aunt Martha beamed with pride as she said this. Nothing in the world was more impressive than her little niece in her eyes.

The wearied wizard behind the desk took her wand and placed it on silver scales. "Ten and a half inches… Birchwood… dragon scale and unicorn hair… Very flexible. Alright, your wand is perfectly adequate. I just need you to fill out a form and have a guardian sign it."

Piper picked up a quill, scribbled down useless information and handed the quill to Martha who signed it exuberantly. "Alright Piper, off to the minister's office my dear." Piper smiled politely, but her mind raced with apprehension. She knew this was a chance to obtain the object her father's advisors had sent her to find.

The guard wizard wheezed slightly, but attempted to be hospitable and asked dubiously, "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Fudge?"

Martha looked scandalized, "Do you, sir, have any idea who this child is?" The guard looked at the paper quickly, but Aunt Martha beat him to the punch, "She is Piper Cornwauld, daughter of Henry Cornwauld, American Minister of Magic."

The wizard grumbled an apology, nodding furiously at Piper, "Terribly sorry miss. Of course Mr. Fudge will be glad to see you. I'll let him know you're here. Go one ahead." Martha stalked off and dragged Piper along with her as if she were the queen of Sheba herself.

Piper knocked on Mr. Fudge's door while Martha threw herself heavily into a chair opposite the door and closed her eyes immediately. "Ah, come in child," Fudge's feathery voice flowed out into the hall, "I've been expecting you. Is your father in good health? Excellent, alright then, we'll get down to business."

Piper instantly spotted what she needed to obtain sitting out in the open on Fudge's desk. Like every other owner -including her own father- he did not understand the incredible power held within it. She needed to figure out how to talk Fudge into handing it over. "Yes, first thing's first. What news is there from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Piper already knew that Fudge absolutely refused to believe in the return of the Dark Lord, which gave her a huge advantage. "We have heard reports that the Potter boy witnessed his supposed return?"

Fudge turned a puce color and shook a bit. "Ms. Cornwauld, I can assure you that it has been proven false. Mr. Potter was upset about the death of his friend, Mr. Diggory and for some reason made the erroneous conclusion that it was related to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We are trying our best to keep Mr. Potter from causing pandemonium." Fudge's face was now dotted with sweat.

"Excellent, this is wonderful news. I knew it couldn't really be true. Just a child seeking attention, I know how that goes." She laughed and beamed at Fudge who smiled in return and began to relax. She turned her attention to the crystal on the desk. "Oh that is a lovely crystal Minister. What a gorgeous blue color. My father gave me something that resembled it, but it had a light green tinge." She went to pick it up, but Fudge grabbed it first, much to her annoyance.

"Ah yes, this was a gift given to me by the famous Auror Briktenstein, from Germany. He was a fine fellow. He obtained it from a mission to South Africa about ten years ago, and thought of me immediately," Fudge pompously proclaimed. "It really serves no purpose really, but to look pretty. I've heard that it's worth quite a bit, but I keep it around to look at from time to time. If you look at it just right in the, it seems to glow." He smiled at the crystal fondly. "I'm waiting for the right person to pass it along to, as a token of good will. You seem to be a worthy recipient, from what I can tell."

Piper tried to look happily surprised. "Really? Oh my, I'm not sure I'm worthy of such a beautiful memento. You must be joking with me Minister." She smiled brightly and humbly at him, knowing that her charm was working quite well.

Fudge chuckled and looked at the crystal again. "Saying that at your age only proves that you do deserve it. A lovely trinket for a lovely girl," he winked at her fondly. "Yes this would do well for your crystal collection. Blue and green are very complimentary colors. This is England's sign of affection for America. May we be allied for many years to come!" He passed the precious jewel into Piper's palm. She felt the hidden power warm her hand instantly.

"Thank you Minister. I will treasure it forever. Now please, tell me more about your current work." Piper was forced to bear the droning of Fudge's voice for a whole hour. He asked her about living with muggles and about her mother's health (who had been dead for a year: How inconsiderate of him not to remember) and about every useless topic anyone could ever think of. After his long-winded speech about how glad he was to have Piper in the country, he provided her and Aunt Martha with Floo Powder to return home. Piper placed a protective hand over the pocket containing the crystal before stepping into the fire. "One more to go."

Woo mystery and intrigue. I'm glad I went through and edited a few lines! I wrote this chapter so long ago, it's incredible I still remember it! As always reviews are very much appreciated! ~Kukaburry


	2. Chapter 2

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Harry Potter Disclaimer

Chapter 2

Life with Aunt Martha turned out to be rather enjoyable. She had an enormous estate and five grandchildren who adored playing quidditch. They awed at her nimbus two-thousand and one, then tried to guilt their own parents into buying one for them. Martha had a third-rate snitch which was spelled into staying within the grounds. Everyone argued that Piper was possibly one of the quickest players they had ever seen.

Piper had never played competitive quidditch at her old school, Flumbuster's School of Magic, because of the excessive amount of classes she was taking. From the rumors she had heard about Hogwarts, she deciphered that quidditch was one of the key ways to getting noticed by the Potter boy.

While Piper was thinking about Hogwarts, Spencer, the youngest of the grandchildren, suddenly fell off his broom and landed with a 'crack' on the lawn. He burst into tears, clutching his ankle, "Daddy! I bwoke mah ankle!" The game ended after Martha scolded them all for letting him get on a broomstick in the first place and fixed his broken ankle with a swish of her wand.

"Oh, Piper, we're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your supplies. This letter just arrived from Hogwarts about five minutes ago." She excitedly handed Piper a thick envelope with a bright red seal on it.

The list read:

1 standardized pewter cauldron

3 Plain black robes

1 winter cloak

Potion kit for intermediate students

Standard Book of Spells

Transfiguration, Advanced Guide to Everyday Changes

The Monster Book of Monsters, Revised

The Dark Arts, Volume 5

Arithmancy Level 3

History and Me

1 animal (Owl, Toad, Rat, Cat or Newt)

"Did your father give you enough money to buy all of this stuff dear? If he didn't, I don't mind spoiling my favorite niece," she glowed, pinching Piper's cheeks lovingly.

"Yes, he gave me enough. He had an account opened for me in uh… Gringotts. I think he put two thousand galleons in it. He told me not to spend it all before I came home," she said grudgingly. The thought of her father paying her to leave made her dig her fingernails into her hands.

Aunt Martha completely missed Piper's angry expression, "Well dear, that was very thoughtful of him. I promise that Gringotts is a top-of-the-line bank. No one's going to steal anything out of there easily." Piper rolled her eyes and sighed at her aunt's naiveté.

The next day, dressed in bright blue robes, Martha, her son Peter, and Piper ventured to Diagon Alley. Peter refused to stop talking all the way to Diagon Alley. "I can't believe some of the policies your father put in place in America. It makes them look highly disorganized. Do you know what I mean? I hope you don't follow everything your father has you do; it's really not good for you. He seems a bit reckless to me…." Blah blah blah.

Piper scowled at her cousin and walked moodily next to her aunt who seemed much too cheerful for this early in the morning. "Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron, one of the best pubs in the whole of London." Martha leaned in, putting her hand to mouth secretively, "Watch out for people in black balaclavas, there's been a rumor going around that they're hags." Piper stared at her aunt, bemused.

"They're probably just extremely ugly witches who are too afraid to show their faces in public." Piper mused aloud. Peter and Martha laughed and ruffled her hair, "That's the spirit darling."

Their first stop in Diagon Alley was Gringotts. Piper cringed slightly when the goblins smiled at her. "Ah yes, Piper Cornwauld, vault 1210. She will of course have to go alone madam," The goblin sneered at Martha who 'humphed' at 'being treated like that'. "I'm fine Aunt Martha. I'll be back soon," Piper said assuredly.

She returned twenty minutes later, dizzy and flushed from the rush of air, but with her coin purse full to the brim. "Crikey, daddy loves you don't he?" Peter said sarcastically highly jealous of her wealth.

Things began to lighten up as they made their journey through Diagon Alley, stopping for ice cream, ogling the new Firebolt, cooing at adorable owls… It wasn't until they had reached Florish and Blotts that their happy balloon was popped.

"Well if it isn't Peter Stafford. How are things in muggle security?" A chilling voice struck through Piper's bones. A pointy-nosed, blonde-headed, gaunt man with narrow black eyes stepped out of the shadows to shake hands with Peter.

"Ah, Lucius, glad to see you here… and Draco of course, how are you both doing?" A boy, the spitting image of his father, with a handsome face and the same greasy, slicked hair, stepped up next to his father, smirking. "I would like you to meet my mother, Martha, and my cousin, Piper Cornwauld."

Lucius's eyes widened at the mention of 'Cornwauld'. "So you're the infamous daughter of Henry Cornwauld?" It was more of a statement than a question. Piper nodded, trying not to make eye contact with the blonde boy. "Yes, yes. Daughter of the American Minister of Magic… I'm guessing you'll be attending Hogwarts this year?" Another nod. "My son Draco attends Hogwarts. He is very displeased with the running of it, but we have no other choice. Dumbledore is such a muggle-lover; he lets all sorts of riff-raff into that school."

Lucius noticed the stolen Ipod sitting in her bag and said in a scathing voice, "What, may I ask, is that?" She flushed a deep crimson, swallowed her sarcastic comment and explained that it was an Ipod, a device muggles use.

Draco laughed mockingly, "Another muggle-lover father, how embarrassing for her father. She would fit perfectly in with those blood-traitor Weasleys." Lucius patted Draco on the head and smiled sneeringly.

"Piper, throw that blasted thing away now. You're embarrassing us." Martha scolded. Piper blushed furiously and shoved the Ipod in her bag forcefully. Lucius smirked and his eyes swept over her money bag. "A little pocket money to get out of daddy's hair?" He asked snidely.

Peter grunted and said, "Now Lucius, what a thing to say. She's here to help her father. Make her feel welcome at least." Lucius seemed to feel that it was not Peter's place to tell him how to act, but he kept his mouth closed. It didn't take long for Piper to realize that she horribly disliked these people. She had heard their names mentioned at various times, but usually in a praising way. She couldn't see why.

Piper pushed past Draco and called to her aunt that she would go buy her books. For one instant, Draco and Piper's eyes met, and in that moment something electric seemed to pass between them. She knocked into Draco's arm and stomped towards the walls of books. She faintly heard Lucius say snidely, "Terrible temper…"

Heart still racing, Piper threw an assortment of books into her cauldron, barely noticing their labels. 'How dare they. Who on earth could possibly enjoy the company of such rude people?' Piper may not be the most honest person in the world, but she never acted the way those people did.

Trying to tame her temper, Piper threw down a half-bag of money on random books that were not on her reading list 'Starting Alchemy, Astronomy for Star-gazers, and Qudditch Through the Ages'. They seemed interesting enough to deter the coming week of boredom before classes started.

Her spirits much lifted, Piper made her way back to her aunt and cousin who were still in the company of the Malfoys. "Do you really need that many books?" Draco asked, staring at her overflowing cauldron.

Martha tut-tutted and said, in a praising voice, "Piper here was the top in her class back in America. Nothing makes her happier than learning something new. Well, except maybe quidditch," she chuckled good-naturedly. Piper rolled her eyes at her aunt's skewed view, but held her head high in a dignified manner.

"You sound like that mud-blood, Hermione Granger." Draco muttered so only Piper could hear him.

"I doubt that," she hissed at him, offended that he compared her to a mud-blood.

Lucius surveyed Piper quizzically for a moment and suddenly jumped for no apparent reason. "Come Draco, we must leave. You know how your mother is when we're late." Lucius grabbed Draco's arm and began to pull him down the ally. He muttered a goodbye to Peter and Martha, decidedly ignoring Piper.

Piper whispered quietly, "Go with daddy Draco. Good boy", and threw him a triumphant smile while he scowled.

"Well, what a handsome boy that Draco Malfoy is. What do you think Piper?" Martha chimed, eyes glittering.

"I think they're a couple of gits auntie," she answered truthfully. "They were stuffy and boring."

Peter scolded Piper again for being rude to his co-worker and looked at his watch, "Goodness, is that the time? We really should be getting back mother."

Piper's idea of Hogwarts dimmed with the meeting of the Malfoys. If she ended up having classes with that stuck up prig, she might contact her father's advisors and plead for them to send her to another school. The wrath she would face from her secret advisor might be worth not having to see Draco ever again.

Hope you enjoyed it! As always, reviews are appreciated. ~Kukaburry


	3. Chapter 3

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Harry Potter Disclaimer

Chapter 3

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"Piper! The train is leaving in two hours. We need time to get there!" Aunt Martha's voice magically penetrated Piper's door, blanket and pillow and resounded annoyingly in her ears. Piper groggily picked up her head and yelled down that she was getting dressed. –not-. She rolled over under the covers and sank into her warm hole. "PIPER!"

"Ok! I'm getting up" Screaming was the only decent form of communication in the large house. Piper threw on jeans and a sweater, and sulkily packed her nearly full trunk. Nothing but the memory of her mother could have forced her to get on the Hogwarts Express that morning.

After many tear-raising hugs from Aunt Martha and finger-breaking hand shakes from her cousins, Piper finally found herself aboard the billowing scarlet train. It came as a slight shock that she had to walk through a solid wall to get to her platform, but she eventually became adjusted to the strange habits of the English.

Being the first on the train, she found an empty compartment hassle-free. She had just gotten settled when the door slid open to reveal a self-satisfied, sneering face. "Well, if it isn't the muggle lover. Do you mind if we sit here?" Without waiting for her reply, Draco and two hulking bodies sat down opposite of her. "Yes, I do mind", she replied.

Draco ignored her and put his feet up on the seat across from him, next to Piper's thigh. "Maybe I misjudged you Piper." Draco said, suddenly serious. Piper narrowed her eyes unbelievingly and said calmly, "Why's that?"

"My father was telling me about your family. I was surprised to hear that you are in fact a pure blood. Maybe your brain was addled when your father forced you to stay with those disgusting muggles," he suggested, clearly not caring for a response. "I mean, I can't believe your dad wanted to get rid of you that bad." As soon as he said that, he knew he had hit a nerve. Piper's face burned red and her fists clenched.

"I think you should leave." Her voice was slow and steady yet menacing; any normal person would have shuddered at its iciness.

Malfoy smiled coyly, "Actually, I'm pretty comfortable in here. I think I'll stay. Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my friends, Crabbe and Goyle." He motioned lazily to the muscled boys sitting on either side of him.

"Are they your body guards or something?" Piper questioned sarcastically, trying to push herself as far away from them as she could. Draco, noticing her discomfort, moved and sat down next to her. "No, our fathers know each other." He said casually. Something dark flashed through Piper's eyes. 'Yeah, I bet they do.'

Piper sidled away, pressing herself against the window, refusing to look at Draco. Two hours of the train ride went by quietly with Piper staring out the window sulkily, and Draco whispering lowly with Crabbe and Goyle and laughing quickly. He continuously shot glances at Piper whenever they laughed. The food trolley came through and Draco loaded up. "Do you not like chocolate?" He taunted mouth full of chocolate frog.

Staring at his mouth, disgusted, Piper responded with effort, "I'd rather not stuff my face like an over-grown pig thank you." Draco sputtered angrily. "You're asking for it muggle-lover." Piper smiled smugly, "Should I be scared?" Malfoy glowered but didn't respond.

The door slid open suddenly and a pudgy, black-haired girl strode in with all the charm of a rhino in a tutu. "Well there you are Draco," she said loudly in a raspy voice. She gave Piper a haughty look. "Hello there Millicent," Draco smiled, but it lacked in feeling. "Are we almost there?"

Millicent shrugged, still looking suspiciously at Piper, "I don't know. I just wanted to come and say hi. I haven't seen you all summer." She jutted out her lower lip for sympathy, but it made her look more like a hairless pit bull.

"How… uh.. nice of you," Draco said, unsure of what to say. Millicent's eyes twinkled as she looked fondly at Draco. Piper felt bile making its way up her throat. The thought of anyone having a crush on Draco was enough to upset anyone's stomach, and it was obvious that Millicent _did_ have a crush on him.

With Millicent's considerable mass added to the cab, Piper felt as though she could scarcely breathe. Millicent seemed to be sucking in all the air with her long-winded ravings about how fantastic Draco was –gag-.

After what seemed like forever in that hot, stuffy, chatter-filled compartment, Piper felt the train begin to slow. She peered through her window now swathed in inky darkness, and saw a magnificent castle outlined in gold. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of such splendor. Draco's cold, drawling voice cut through her thoughts, "Never seen a castle before?" Piper's lack of response, along with a gaping mouth, was enough of an answer for him.

She was snatched away by the bustling crowd, finally loose from the icy stare of Malfoy, and discovered hundreds of carriages pulled by great, scaly beasts. The sight of the Thestrals caused her to gasp. In America, it was illegal to keep them in captivity, and she was fairly sure that it was the same in England. She would be sure to ask the headmaster about this blatant violation of the law.

She entered one of the carriages almost hesitantly and examined the plush seats, fascinated by their intricate designs. She looked up as three of the most unlikely people joined her; A gangly, red-headed boy, a boy with messy black hair and glasses and a very intelligent looking girl with bushy, brown hair. They smiled at her politely and sat down on the very comfortable, white seats. Piper took a second look at the boy with messy black hair and saw a hint of a scar beneath it.

Her breath caught in her lungs when she realized who had innocently made his way into her carriage: HARRY POTTER! She cleared her throat and said in a pseudo-nervous voice, "You have no idea what an honor it is to meet you Harry." All three looked up, shocked by the American drawl. "I'm a transfer student," she explained, and they nodded dumbly. She leaned in secretively, knowing exactly how to capture his attention and trust. "I want you to know that I believe you; about You-Know-Who."

Harry physically relaxed. "Thanks. I'm happy for any support," He replied. 'Ok… not the most talkative person, but it's a start.' Piper looked at the girl and asked her name. "Hermione Granger, nice to meet you uh.."

"Piper," Piper replied, smiling across the carriage. The red-headed boy coughed and spoke up, "And I'm Ron Weasley. I've never met a foreign student before," he added in awe. Piper smiled awkwardly and tried to think of what else to talk about. The other three looked just as perplexed as she did. They lapsed into rigid silence.

Finally, Ron managed to say in a croaky voice, "Well, if you're going to be sorted into a house, you definitely want Gryffindor." He pushed out his chest with pride. "You want to watch out for Slytherins though. They're a nasty bunch… especially Malfoy." Ron made a rude gesture that made Piper want to laugh, but she restrained herself.

"I have uh… met Mr. Malfoy, and his greasy father. Trust me, I figured out a while ago that I don't want to mix with his bunch," She let her animosity towards the Malfoys drip in her voice. The Gryffindors looked relieved that they had the same feelings towards Draco.

"His cronies aren't much to look at either," Piper said jokingly, and everyone laughed appreciatively. "The worst part of Slytherin is their head teacher, Snape" Harry snarled slightly. Piper's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "Professor Snape did you say?" She asked, hoping against hope that he wasn't who she was thinking of.

"Yeah, he's a horrible person," Hermione agreed, causing Harry and Ron to look at her bewilderedly. "Oh look! We're finally here," Hermione squeaked excitedly. The carriage slowed to a stop and all four piled out neatly and walked to the large oak doors. A beaky-looking woman with hair in a tight bun stood looking smartly at all the students piling in. As soon as Piper entered through the door, the woman barked in soft voice, "Piper Cornwauld?"

Piper nodded, looking at Ron and Harry for guidance. They nodded encouragingly and said, "See you at the dinner Professor McGonagall." Piper smiled when they said her name pointedly, 'Always count on the nice students for help'.

"Mrs. Cornwauld, since you are a transfer student, and have no rightful school house, you will join the first years in the sorting". Piper gulped and looked at the great hall doors frightfully… 'sorting?'.

She stood outside the main hall with the professor for what seemed like hours when a band of small children trudged, drenched, up the steps followed by a very large and hairy man. "Ah, Hagrid, I'm glad you made it once again across the lake without losing any."

The giant man guffawed loudly and stroked his beard merrily. "Ah can always count on yeh professor to make me laugh." The first years shivered where they stood and looked at Piper curiously. She tried her best to blend into the wall. Professor McGonagall waved goodbye to Hagrid and ushered the first years through the doors and forced Piper to walk beside her. She stood out clearly, being a head and a half taller than all of the first years.

They walked down the rows past hundreds of faces. Many students stood up and craned their necks in hopes of seeing who was walking with the professor. Piper felt her face begin to burn as the searchlight eyes blazed at her from every direction.

There was a stool placed in front of the main table with an old, raggedy hat placed on top. As soon as all of the first years surrounded it, it burst into a merry song about Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin and Roana Ravenclaw. Each first year was called up and the hat placed on top of its head. 'This isn't so bad.'

When all of the students were sorted, Piper was left standing there, with every student in the room looking at her expectantly. An old man with a silver beard and half-moon glasses stood up feebly and boomed in a surprisingly strong voice, "Girls and boys, teachers and caretakers, I would like to introduce you to our new transfer student, all the way from America, Piper Cornwauld, daughter of the American Minister of Magic."

An appreciative gasp rumbled through the crowd, and she saw Harry look thunderstruck… who knew she was the daughter of such a respectable person? Dumbledore coughed and resumed what he was saying, "Now when she is sorted, I hope her house, as well as every other house, attempts to make her feel as welcome as it possibly can." A few people cheered feebly.

Piper sauntered up to the stool, looked at the worn-out hat apprehensively and shoved it on top of her head, waiting for her fate. 'Ah' a little voice spoke in her ear, 'I see we have some dark secrets hidden beneath this bonnet.' Piper stiffened slightly, hoping it wasn't about to reveal her. 'You have a very clever mind, a strong will and sneaky ambitions. You would do best in….. "SLYTHERIN!!!"

Piper sat, completely shocked, on the stool, not believing how horrible her fate was. Maybe it's what she deserved for everything she's done…. Raucous laughter met her ears and she saw, at the far table, Malfoy and those two apes cackling at the top of their lungs. She took the hat off bitterly, slammed it on the stool and marched angrily over to the Slytherin table. On her way, she thought she saw Hermione, Ron and Harry shoot her apologetic, even miserable looks.

Piper shrugged her shoulders and sat heavily down next to a sleek blonde girl with hazel eyes. "Hello, I'm Robyn Saunders." Her heavy British accent confused Piper greatly, "Hi Robyn." Intending to make friends, Piper said conversationally, "Are Thestrals legal here in England?" Robyn looked perplexed, "What's a Thestral?"

Piper breathed heavily and said, "They're large scaly horses that pull the carts here. They're invisible to anyone who hasn't seen someone die. You might not be able to see them, but I'm sure you've learned about them right?" Robyn shook her head slowly, still looking utterly confused.

"Obviously you've never had Care of Magical Creatures before have you?" Robyn nodded vigorously, "Of course I have! That blundering oaf Hagrid teaches it." It occurred to Piper that people could sound intelligent only when making rude comments about other people, she made a mental note of this. 'Blundering…oaf…' "He didn't seem that bad to me," Piper commented, but Robyn was paying her no attention.

The golden plates and goblets in front of Piper were suddenly stacked with food and the Thestrals were pushed clear out of her mind. She piled her plate with pudding, chicken, dumplings and carrots. It wasn't until Draco's sinister voice cut through her rampaging thoughts that she noticed a ghost floating through her food. She nearly jumped from her skin when she realized that this particular ghost shimmered with silvery blood.

"Scared of a little ghost Piper?" Draco mocked, lips curving into a blood-curdling smile. Recognizing that tempting Malfoy with a response would only drive him on, she maintained eye contact while shoveling another spoonful of dumplings into her mouth, pretending to savor it. Draco's glacial eyes narrowed to slits, having been denied the chance of insulting Piper.

"Now that your stomachs are full, I have a few announcements," Silence enveloped the room as Dumbledore addressed them. "The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to everyone, as many of you already know. Our caretaker, Mr. Filtch, has added fanged Frisbees to the list of banned items. For a full and detailed list, please visit Filtch's office." Piper could have sworn she saw Dumbledore smile, "Finally, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Gladdis Knowly." A stocky woman with violent purple hair stood up and bowed to scattered applauses. "Now, off to bed!"

Piper followed the flow of Slytherins out the hall and down the stairs into the dungeons. They stopped outside a statue of a werewolf and someone said, "Blasphemy!" The statue hopped aside, causing Piper to jump considerably, and a hole opened up. "Home sweet home," several people cheered.

Licking her lips nervously, Piper stared around in awe at the common room. Silver tapestries covered the walls, flush green carpeting smothered the stone beneath it and plush black couches were backed up into nearly every wall. Two stairways opposite of each other spiraled upwards and stopped at seven different levels.

The girl named Robyn hurried next to Piper. "We're on the fourth floor," she whispered excitedly, "There are six other girls in our year." Piper nodded dully, barely hearing what Robyn was saying even though she was trying to be helpful. "Professor Snape is supposed to come in and check on us first. He's the coolest teacher here by far." Piper rolled her eyes yet shivered inadvertently, 'Please don't let it be him'.

"Welcome to Slytherin," an oily voice broke the silence and Piper whirled around to find an uninspiring face staring menacingly at her. Snape shifted his gaze to include everyone in the common room. "The Gryffindors have managed to steal the House Cup from us three years in a row," he barked, "I want everyone to shape up and earn more points. Don't let Hermione Granger steal the glory from you."

It took every ounce of will Piper had in her body to keep herself from punching Snape in his slimy, unkempt face. Snape waltzed over to Piper and said in a hushed voice, "Lucky you, being put in my house." Piper held her breath, head pounding, eye twitching, and ignored the rank breath he breathed in her face. Snape's cruel smile remained on his face as he waltzed over to coo about Draco.

Looking at Piper questioningly, Robyn asked, "Do you know Professor Snape?" Piper stayed silent for a few seconds then answered coolly, "We've met." She refused to meet Robyn's eyes and set off towards the spiral staircase. She never realized that a pair of coal black eyes was watching her ascent, taking note of her actions. The moment Piper's head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep where Snape and Draco both jinxed her, and Hagrid set a dragon on her while Robyn ran beside her, throwing a fistful of words at her head.

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End of Chapter 2!! Woohoo. Getting a bit more interesting? Just wait until the next chapter. :-p (I love dreams.. the weirdest things happen in them!)


	4. Chapter 4

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Harry Potter Disclaimer

Chapter 4

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Piper awoke, hair tousled and eyes blurry, at five in the morning. She couldn't understand why she had awoken so early, but a crick in her neck explained everything. She had rolled out of bed in the middle of the night and had taken the bed hangings with her. Deciding to take advantage of the two remaining hours before breakfast, Piper brushed her hair and removed her copy of Transfiguration, a Guide to Everyday Changes from her trunk and began reading it by the common room fire.

She had just reached the point about switching spells when a poorly covered cough reached her ears. She looked up and saw a face in the fireplace. "Oh, Wormtail, it's just you," she sighed in relief. "I thought it was that filthy snake, Draco. I see you found out I was sorted into Slytherin."

Wormtail's watery eyes blinked rapidly and he muttered, "The Dark Lord thinks very highly of Draco and his father." Piper laughed cruelly, "He's a scared little boy who runs to his daddy when something's wrong. He's had Harry Potter alone more times than anyone can count and has done nothing for it. The Dark Lord praises him much too highly."

Muttering something about "You are mistaken", Wormtail seemed to shift uneasily in the fireplace. "Yes, perhaps I am mistaken, but isn't it surprising that he knows nothing of my involvement with the Dark Lord?" Piper asked, lips curling into a victorious smile.

"I don't know why he trusts you. Your father is the American Minister of Magic!" He blubbered, eyes darting around as if someone else was listening. "That's precisely why he trusts me. He knows I would do anything to displease my father. Wormtail, I know you have contacts with the Malfoys, and I don't want you saying anything about my job," she added threateningly. Wormtail cringed and nodded slowly, intent on letting Voldemort know exactly how she was treating Draco.

A creak from above caused Piper to jump. "Go away now, someone's coming." Continuing to mutter about Piper's lack of faith, Wormtail disappeared with a 'pop' from the fireplace. In that instant, Draco Malfoy came waltzing down the stairs looking very smug. "Talking to your self Piper? You know that indicates craziness, don't you?" Piper sniffed and resumed reading her book, still not convinced that he was as powerful as the Dark Lord deemed him to be.

Draco, once again ignored, stomped down the stairs and stopped only feet away from Piper's hidden face. "I don't like being ignored," he said, voice soft and threatening. Piper lowered her book a few inches and looked him squarely in the eye, "Get used to it you slimy git." Before Piper knew it, her book had been torn out of her hand and a wand dug into her throat.

"I'd be more polite if I were you," Draco hissed menacingly, lightening the pressure on her neck only enough for her to breathe. He leaned in, face barely an inch from hers, his breath fresh on her skin, "You think you're better than me just because your daddy is some hot-shot. I have connections you can only dream about."

This statement, well thought-out by Draco caused Piper to merely sigh and say, "Yes, if you think so." Seething, Draco barked, "What do you mean by that?" Piper was about to take out her own wand when someone shrieked, "What are you doing Draco?" Draco hastily jumped away from Piper and put on a sloppy 'innocent' face. "Nothing Pansy… nothing at all. I was just… um… welcoming Piper to Slytherin," he lied hastily.

Pansy looked sourly at Piper. "You.. you were flirting with her weren't you! You think she's pretty don't you! You want her because she's the minister's daughter," she rambled in a raspy voice. Piper looked at her bewildered… 'She clearly didn't see that right.' Draco, his face contorted in disgust, much to Piper's displeasure, shook his head and said soothingly, "I wasn't flirting with her. Besides, you're much prettier than she is." Piper felt her face heat up, 'Prettier than me? That COW?' Pansy smiled and flipped her hair seductively, "Oh Draco…"

Piper stood up indignantly, picked up her slightly crumpled book and pushed past Draco and Pansy. "Excuse me," she snarled, "I think I'm going to be sick." With that, she ran up the stairs, grabbed her bag and hurled some books into it. Without waiting for Robyn, Piper hurtled down the stairs again, pretended not to hear Draco and flew out of the portal which jumped out of the way just in time. (NIC: Pansy IS a cow… moo)

Still upset, Piper trudged through the corridors, barely noticing where she was going. She felt as though she was going in circles, which made her even more upset. "This place is too big!" She yelled aloud. "Oooh, someone's lost!" A very high-pitched, cackling laugh floated down from the ceiling above. "I'll help you," the ghost said somberly, trying not to snigger. He somersaulted in the air and blew a very loud and wet raspberry at her.

"Peeves! What are you up to this time?" Peeves did a flip in the air and faced Dumbledore. "Nothing your empty-headedness," he said with a rude bow, "I'm just trying to help this girl find her way." Dumbledore looked at Peeves quizzically, "I highly doubt that Peeves, since you are constantly more trouble than help." Peeves smiled happily and said, "Thank you sir, what a compliment!" He zoomed away, cackling merrily.

"Forgive Peeves, he doesn't understand the meaning of manners," Dumbledore said softly. "Are you lost? I was sure someone would help you find your way around. Mr. Malfoy or Ms. Parkinson." Piper's eye twitched, but she shook her head and Dumbledore frowned, "I would have thought better of them; however, as I am on my way to the Great Hall. Won't you accompany me?" Piper smiled weakly and walked instep with the headmaster. She had definitely not foreseen this strange turn of events.

A thought occurred to Piper and she asked, somewhat tentatively, "Did you know that Thestrals are illegally being used to transport students to this school?" Dumbledore looked at her with an impressed smile, "Yes, I do know that they are being used. Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher is very good at erm… taming them," he answered, somewhat evasively.

Still unsure of its legality, Piper spent the rest of the short trip thinking of ways to disclose this information to proper authorities. They finally reached the Great Hall and departed at the door with a short 'goodbye'. She sat down at one of the empty plates, being the very first Slytherin to sit at the table. She helped herself to toast and ham and continued reading the Transfiguration book.

Soon, the hall was buzzing with laughter and gaiety. Everyone was excited about the new term; everyone besides Piper who was infinitely nervous about making a good impression. She had finally read every one of her text books and attempted to recite what she had learned in her head during breakfast. This obviously gave her a heavily glazed, far-away look since Robyn asked her if she had been hexed. Piper shook her head clear and smiled, assuring Robyn that she was perfectly fine.

Parchments were passed out by the head of house. Snape lingered at Piper's side to look at her schedule and said softly, "Looks like you have double potions with me first". Piper groaned and stared at her schedule gloomily.

Double Potions

Lunch

Care of Magical Creatures

Transfiguration

"Ok, well it's not all bad. Transfiguration should be fairly easy". Her schedule for the week was decent as well: Arithmancy, Astronomy, Herbology, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Ancient Runes.

When breakfast ended, she followed the fifth year Slytherins down into the dungeons. She passed the werewolf statue and could have sworn she saw its eyes move. She shivered and continued to walk. She could smell the dreariness of Professor Snape from halfway down the hall. He loved making his rooms as gloomy and uncomfortable as possible.

Her left arm tingled slightly and she grabbed it automatically. She had never been branded with the Dark Mark, but she still felt as though she were connected to those who had been. "You seem a bit jumpy today," a male voice breathed in her ear, "Be careful where you sit or you might get an even bigger surprise." Draco laughed maliciously and sauntered off with Crabbe and Goyle, looking back with a mysterious smile.

As soon as they sat down, Snape strode in sinisterly, eyeing every student with venom, besides, as Piper noticed, Draco. "Welcome to another year of Potions," he announced in barely a whisper. The dungeon became deathly silent; not even the air dared to stir. "To test how much you have retained this summer, I want all of you create an engorging potion."

Several people groaned, clearly having forgotten how to make any kind of potion. "You may not use your books," Snape snarled, catching Ron taking out his book hopefully, and he returned it to his bag dejectedly. Piper felt a surge of confidence flow through her, 'This is one of the easiest potions to make!'

She put her cauldron on the table and placed her ingredients next to it. She sliced her Tandra Root into five equal segments, put a pinch of wart powder into the mixture and poured an ounce of Brueberry juice inside as the final touch. She stirred for three minutes, checking the consistency and made sure it was a perfect lime green color.

When Snape called time, Piper felt very sure of herself, at least until she sat down on something squelchy. She felt acid eating through her robes and nearing her jumper underneath. She screeched, looking down at her robes. Hermione made her way over at the same time Snape did. "What have you done Cornwauld?" He asked, his voice leering.

Throat clenching, Piper retorted, "Somebody," she cast an angry glance at Draco, "put an acid pop on my seat." Snape smiled and said simply, "Someone doesn't like you very much, do they?" Shocked glances traveled around the room. Did Snape just say that to a Slytherin? As Snape walked away, Hermione muttered a charm and Piper's clothes mended themselves. "Thanks," she whispered to Hermione who blushed and shrugged.

"Granger, 10 points from Gryffindor for being out of your seat," Snape growled, glowering at Hermione. Hermione forced back tears and returned obediently to her seat while Draco and Crabbe guffawed stupidly. "That's not fair sir!" Piper spoke up, causing everyone in the room to gasp. "If you're going to take points from Gryffindor for helping me, you might as well take points from Slytherin for putting an acid pop on my seat!"

Several Slytherins hissed at her for suggesting such a thing. Snape's neck throbbed unpleasantly, clearly despising Piper. He knew that Dumbledore would believe a student from his own house over him. He simmered for a while then said grudgingly, "10 points to Gryffindor for… helping Slytherin. And a 12 inch essay on the properties of a Sleeping Potion." Every Slytherin in the room turned mutinous faces towards Piper. She suddenly feared for her life.

The bell rang and Piper was the first to hurry from the room. She reluctantly decided to skip lunch, much to the protest of her growling stomach, and instead hurried to the library to read about Ancient Runes. She had never had this class before and wanted to become knowledgeable enough to keep up with the work.

The bell sounded, declaring and end to lunch and thanks to Madam Pence, the librarian, Piper found her way to Care of Magical Creatures. She ended up walking behind the horrible trio and she figured out right away who they were talking about. "How could that muggle-lover stick up for Gryffindor like that? I think she's touched in the head, I mean I heard her talking to herself this morning for crying out loud." Crabbe and Goyle grunted like small gorillas.

"So you don't fancy her at all Draco?" Goyle asked suddenly, piquing Piper's interest. Draco look flabbergasted. "What are you pulling Goyle? Of course I don't fancy her! She's horribly like Granger," he visibly shivered. Crabbe shook his head and said, "I heard Zabini talking to Dobbins and they both think she's very posh." Draco thought about this for a moment and said, "Well they should both have their eyes examined."

They reached Hagrid's hut and Piper surprised Draco by shoving by him. "Do you think she heard us?" Draco whispered to Crabbe who only shrugged. "Welcome to another year of Care of Magical Creatures," Hagrid babbled excitedly. Piper heard a noise and turned around to see Draco doing a horrible impression of Hagrid. 'He's going to ruin everything' she thought to herself angrily.

"Today, we're goin' ter look at Kneazles!" The class stared back, clueless. "Does…er… anyone know what a Kneazle is?" Piper looked around and timidly and raised her hand. Hagrid looked delighted, "Yes, you…er… what's yer name?"

"Piper Cornwauld, and a Kneazle is a wizarding cat that ranks three on the Ministry's scale of dangerous creatures," Hagrid looked taken-aback for a second but recovered quickly, "Yer exactly righ' Piper. Hogwarts happens to have a license for these Kneazles so, I don' want any of yeh worryin' 'bout legality. Besides, I found the whole litter scattered 'round Hogwarts. Someone didn' want 'em… so don' worry 'bout legality," he was mainly looking at Piper when he said this.

"Now, does anyone know what the special property of a Kneazle is?" Piper's hand shot up again, "Yer a right bit like Hermione, yeh are Piper, 15 points to Slytherin," Hagrid chuckled merrily. Suddenly emboldened, Piper said confidently, "Kneazles have the ability to detect people who are deceitful or suspicious, which makes them highly valuable pets." She turned around and shot a smug look at Malfoy who looked very down-trodden.

Stifled mewing could be heard from inside a crate next to Hagrid's cabin. The Slytherin girls began to coo when Hagrid opened the box. Five, very fluffy cats with lion tails were yowling at the top of their lungs. "I was hopin' to have a project with these little guys. Professor Sprout's been complainin' 'bout Knarls in the garden. Kneazles are right smart."

Piper raised her hand, "Excuse me, but you're not going to let the Kneazles eat the Knarls are you?" Hagrid pulled on his beard hard, " 'Course not. Kneazles don' like the taste o' Knarls. They're mighty good at huntin' 'em tho'." Piper was dissatisfied with this explanation, but he was the teacher after all. "Alright, I'm goin ter split yeh up inter pairs. Whichever pair catches the most Knarls wins somethin' special. Okay, Crabbe and Goyle. Parkinson and Bulstrode. Dobbins and Zabini. Tray and Zimmerman. Malfoy and Cornwauld."

Everyone went off in their pairs, cuddling the fluffy cats except Piper and Draco. It was difficult to tell whose stare was more threatening. Hagrid coughed loudly and both jumped slightly. "You two should get a move-on if yeh want ter win the prize." A snow white Kneazle was sitting silently in the box, staring up sadly with large blue eyes. Piper stroked the kitten between its eyes and it purred affectionately.

"Here, let me see the little brute," Draco shoved Piper aside and reached down for the cat. Dagger-like claws sprung from the cat's paws and sliced Draco's hand. "Bloody hell! That cat is a killer!" Draco's voice was no longer calm, but high-pitched and shaking. "Obviously you're not trustworthy Draco," she simpered scathingly, picking up the cat and cuddling it. She then retrieved her wand and whispered, "_Awaldo Rependo_." The cut on Draco's hand healed instantly leaving smooth, unblemished skin.

"I could've done it myself," Draco growled, not meeting Piper's eyes. She sniffed. Of course she hadn't expected a 'thank you', but maybe saying nothing at all would've sufficed. She rolled her eyes and walked towards the Greenhouses, Draco padding glumly in her wake. "If my father…." Draco muttered to himself.

"If your father knew what was best for him, he wouldn't have done a lot of things Draco," Piper's voice cut through his thoughts like a dagger. "What do you know about my father?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, wondering what she could mean. "I know more than you could possibly dream of," was all she said, leaving Draco to ponder.

They reached the greenhouses and Piper set the Kneazle on the ground and whispered encouragingly, "Go catch us some Knarls little guy. Don't eat them of course; they'll give you an upset stomach." If the cat could have saluted, Piper swore it would have done just that. Tail erect, the Kneazle disappeared into the brush and seconds later carried out two struggling Knarls (hedge-hog like animals) and placed them in Piper's lap. "What a good boy," Piper cooed and Draco wrinkled his nose, annoyed.

Piper picked up her box, stunned the Knarls and placed them in it. "I have a good feeling about this Kneazle," she said to Draco, smiling happily. Draco merely raised his eyebrows and snorted unbelievingly. Piper pursed her lips and sighed.

After thirty minutes of hard work by Piper's Kneazle, the garden seemed to be Knarl-free. Draco and Piper were clearly the winners, with forty-two stunned Knarls while everyone else barely had twelve. Hagrid handed both Piper and Draco a box of toffees and chocolates. "Wow, thanks Hagrid!" Piper chirped, staring at the massive amount of chocolate. She nudged Draco in the ribs and he mumbled, "Thanks," reluctantly. Professor Sprout emerged from her office and saw that her garden had been de-Knarled and awarded Slytherin 20 points.

It was becoming clear to everyone that Piper really did know how to handle herself. She earned them 30 more points for answering every question in Transfiguration correctly and successfully transfiguring a bird into a goblet. Draco, normally a fairly decent student, was disgusted by Piper's intelligence. "It's not normal," he said to Crabbe and Goyle, "Pure-bloods are supposed to control themselves! This girl thinks she's better than us. Let's prove how un-special she is tonight."

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	5. Chapter 5

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Harry Potter Disclaimer

Chapter 5

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Piper had finished her potions essay, read the rest of her Ancient Runes book and begun her scroll on transfiguring a cactus, when she felt the urge to take a long, hot shower. Shedding her clothes in the dormitory, she walked swiftly over the cold floor and into the showers. She stood under the hot spray for what seemed like hours, not wanting to return to the chilly dormitory. She finally turned off the taps, wrapped a towel around her body and snuck back into the dormitory.

Silence. Nothing stirred, not even the air around her. She had heard a silence like this only once before, and a fate worse than death had been bestowed upon her. Feet stinging, Piper hurried to her trunk to find all of her clothes and wand missing. No, this silence had to be from something else…not… Him. Piper, shaking from cold and nerves, made her way to the spiral staircase balcony and looked down.

Every single piece of clothing she owned had been ripped to shreds and strewn around the common room. Her wand lay waiting for her on a table in the center of the room, unharmed. She looked around for a sign of life, but found no one. Tears welled up from deep inside her and trickled down her face. 'How can they be so cruel?'

Piper stumbled down the stairs and snatched up her wand, but not before a smug voice said, "Seems like you've become highly unpopular." Hastily wiping away her tears, Piper turned to face Draco. The look on Piper's face caused Draco's smirk to falter, but only for a moment. Piper thought she saw his eyes flicker to her bare legs, but she probably imagined it. "Crying Cornwauld? Can't handle it?" He taunted.

"I can't believe he likes you and your father," Piper raved, pointing her wand dead at Draco's heart. "He always says that you're loyal, that you're special, but I haven't seen it yet!"

Draco, face now a shade of milky white said, "Who are you talking about? Who thinks I'm special?" Piper didn't answer, she just swore in a quivering voice, "Draco Malfoy, I will find a way to prove that you're a filthy piece of scum not worthy of licking his boots." With a flick of her wand, all of her clothes repaired themselves and with another flick, disappeared up the stairs.

"I loathe you Draco. And you Pansy," Piper added, hearing a muffled snigger come from behind the sofa. "How terrible, a blood-traitor hates me. What am I going to do?" Draco mocked pain, putting his hand to his forehead in 'agony'. Feeling a fresh wave of tears rising, Piper turned around angrily and rushed up the stairs, holding the towel tightly against her.

Wormtail, who had been hiding in the fireplace, saw the entire episode. He pulled his head out of the fire reluctantly and faced the tiny bundle quivering in the armchair. "What have you seen Wormtail?" A high-pitched voice hissed from deep within the folds of the blanket. Wormtail related the events to Voldemort. "I think s-she's l-losing her nerve master," Wormtail stuttered uncertainly, bowing his head deeply.

"Fool, she is stronger than that! She knows what she risks losing if she fails. That is why I chose her over Lucius's son," the disembodied voice yelled at a decibel barely above a normal whisper. "But she might lose confidence now that young Malfoy is involved. Perhaps," the voiced stopped for a moment then continued in a shrewd voice, "Perhaps it can be accomplished if they both…" Voldemort trailed off. "Send word to Lucius Malfoy NOW…."

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Three, uneventful weeks went by. Even Draco had become tired of taunting Piper and receiving no reply. If anything, she had become an unsociable hermit, holed up in the library. She refused to sleep in the dormitory due to several unsuccessful 'pranks' the girls pulled on her. Snape pushed aside the incidents as 'harmless fun' and Piper ended up sleeping on a common room couch, watching the fire and waiting for her orders from Wormtail. Even her Ipod provided no comfort to her in the castle. It wouldn't even turn on with all the magic buzzing around.

The only tolerance the Slytherins had for Piper was her ability to rack up points for them. Slytherin, for the first time in three years, was finally beating Gryffindor. Whenever anyone attempted to congratulate her on earning points, all they received was an impatient sniff. She withstood her Ancient Runes class, since Hermione Granger and a couple of fifth year students were the only ones in there, but not enough to converse with anyone. Congratulating Piper for anything had become a lost cause, even for the Gryffindors who felt wholly sorry for her misfortune of being sorted into Slytherin. Her only thought that drove her on was, 'Get close to Potter'.

Posters about Quidditch try-outs were plastered everywhere. Robyn's heart nearly stopped one morning when Piper sat down next to her cheerfully and asked, "Are you trying out for the house team today Robyn?" Robyn, who was afraid of being more than ten feet off the ground, shook her head vigorously. "No way could anyone ever get me on a broomstick."

Piper's smiled faded and she once again lapsed into miserable silence, munching on a piece of toast. After enduring piteous looks from the Gryffindors and sneering comments breathed down her neck by Snape during potions, Piper was finally free to hurry down to the Quidditch pitch for a quick warm-up before tryouts.

She opened her trunk to discover her perfectly polished broom practically vibrating in anticipation. "I want to fly just as much as you do," she giggled, picking up the broom delicately. Entering the enormous stadium caused Piper's heart to race. The bleachers seemed to rise endlessly towards the sky. "This is where I belong," she mumbled softly.

Gripping her broom firmly, Piper kicked off the ground and zoomed into the air, exhilarated by the fresh burst of wind that pummeled her face lightly. She took golf balls out of her pocket and threw them across the stadium and zoomed, full-force after them. She only let one drop, and by the time everyone else arrived at the stadium, her confidence had been greatly boosted. She landed with a small 'thud' on the ground and hurried to the growing crowd around Marcus Flint.

"Everyone here?" He asked in a very squawky voice, his thick eyebrows furrowing together as he looked around at twenty semi-nervous faces. "Alright, we need to redeem ourselves from last year." A small mummer of agreement ran through the group. "We are going to CRUSH Gryffindor this year! I don't care how you do it, hex them for all I care! I want to see that Quidditch cup back where it rightfully belongs!" Everyone, besides Piper, cheered raucously.

Piper had never seen a dirtier game of quidditch played in all her life. It seemed like those who could perform the best spells would win a place on this team. Draco coasted along, completely at ease, dodging misfired curses every once a while. Flint had everyone try out for each spot, except Draco who seemed to have already won the position of Seeker.

Piper made an excellent Chaser, tossing the Quaffle effortlessly to her partner and scoring seven goals. Her Keeper tryout was doomed to fail since a jelly-leg jinx hit her, and she spent the entire time trying to stay on the broom rather than save any goals. When Flint said that there was no need to hold a seeker try-out, everyone flinched when Piper screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs, "That's not fair, how do you know someone's not better than he is?"

Jeering, Flint said placidly, "Alright miss Priss, I'll let you have a go." He opened the box and retrieved the golden snitch, "First to capture it, gets the spot. Otherwise, you'll have to take Chaser." Piper's mind reeled, 'I'm going to hex that little cheat and teach him who he's messing with.' A spiteful smile surfaced on Piper's lips, but Malfoy just sat there with his annoying, smug expression. "You're funeral," he laughed, brandishing his wand like sword.

"On my mark, 'Three', 'Two'…." On two, he let the snitch go and it was gone in a flash, as if it knew this was a contest. Angry at Flint's attempt to hoodwink her, Piper kicked off with extra power, following Draco's broom closely. "Confundus!" She whispered, aiming her wand at Draco. For some odd reason, the spell had no effect what-so-ever on Draco. Annoyed, Piper tried again, "Stupefy!" Her spell seemed to vanish the second it neared Draco. 'The scheming crook. He's wearing a protective charm.'

With her effort put into the spells, Piper had begun to lag behind. It seemed as though this was going to be a battle of pure talent. Sensing her urgency, the broom sped up, catching Draco quite easily and began to pass him. "You think you'll beat _me_ Cornwauld?" Draco sneered obviously worried that Piper might steal his glory. Looking at Draco with as much loathing as she could muster, she replied, "Yes, I do."

She outstripped Draco and sped towards the shimmering snitch, hovering just above the second goal post. She heard Draco curse loudly just behind her. Piper smiled, pleased that she caused Draco's anger. 'Only a few feet more'. She stretched out her hand, eyes reflecting gold, and.... WHAM!!!

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She was running down a dark passage, a stitch in her side, looking for her. "Mom! Where are you?" She hiccupped, nose running and eyes watering. "This isn't funny Mom!" Her voice felt hoarse from overuse. Cold air chilled her to the bone.. wait, was that a doorway? A crack of light could be seen emitting from beneath a dirty, rusty door. "Mom?" She pushed the door open tentatively, unsure of what she would find. A feeble body lay limp on the floor, breathing shakily. "Oh no! Mom!"

"Well, well. Look who arrived," A cold voice sneered. "My master was right after all."

Piper began to shake, "W-what do you mean? What have you done to my mother?" Piper withdrew her wand from her robes and pointed it at the man.

"Put that away you dim-witted girl," he barked. "Just shut up and listen! My master needs your service."

Piper, not believing him said, "I won't help you. Not unless you let my mother go."

Piper saw a bundle on the floor move. A feeble hand held up a wand and pointed it at the limp body and said in a chilly voice, "It's not your mother you should be worried about…AVADA KADAVARA!"

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Piper felt warm and comfortable, and she didn't want to leave wherever she was. She opened her eyes slowly, taking in high grey, stone ceilings and many windows, now dark, surrounded the room. "Oh, you've finally woken up!" A chipper voice said from across the room. A woman with grey hair tied in a big knot at the back of her head came bustling over to her bed.

"Only the first day of quidditch and already we've had a bad injury," the woman muttered to mostly herself.

Piper, still not quite understanding what happened asked, "Where am I?"

The woman stopped in her tracks and looked at Piper curiously, "You're in the hospital wing dear. A bludger hit you in the head and you fell off your broom. You're lucky you only broke your leg and arm, and cracked your skull. From what I heard from Mr. Malfoy, it was a pretty long fall."

Boiling anger coursed through her veins and she screamed, "They hit that bludger at me on purpose just so I wouldn't get the snitch!"

Madam Pomfrey furrowed her eyebrows and said in a stern voice, "Now, I'm sure you are very angry, but I don't want you shouting. You aren't fully mended yet." Piper didn't care if she wasn't fully mended. She wanted to pound Flint to a pulp. As if reading her mind, Madam Pomfrey said, "Piper, you are to stay here until I say you can leave, which will probably be tomorrow, understood?"

Piper, rage still eating her, sighed and nodded. 'I'll get him.'

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	6. Chapter 6

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 6

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Piper ambled out of the hospital wing, completely cured on the outside, but still bleeding freely on the inside. Her pride, once branded across her breast, now lay crumpled in a heap at her feet. She felt every sort of hatred flow through her veins, but it extinguished itself at the sight of Draco waiting for her and, possibly?, looking relieved.

When he finally stopped staring, he ducked his head apologetically and observed the stonework of the floor. "Piper, I apologize for the bludger." She stared at him, slack-jawed. Something had to be wrong here. She sniffed and said quietly, "You didn't hit it".

Draco lifted his eyes and surveyed her. "You're right. I didn't hit it, Flint did…. but"

Piper scoffed irritably and growled, "I know he did you half-wit! If it had been you, I would've socked you in the face the moment I saw you."

Draco smiled slightly and continued quickly, "but you did technically lose and our first practice is tomorrow. You're going to be chaser with the fifth-year Gabriel and seventh-year Josh."

The unjustness of it all boiled in Piper's veins. "I have always wanted to play seeker since I started quidditch, and I get the chance to win just to have you cheat me out of it? I'd rather quit the team than play chaser," Piper cursed, and stomped off towards the dormitory, leaving Draco standing helplessly by the hospital door. Half-way back to the dorms, a voice spoke to her. 'Why are you willing to let your hatred for those stupid gits get in the way of your love of quidditch? You are just as good at chaser as you are at seeker.'

The tiny voice had a point. Her swelled anger finally punctured, Piper turned abruptly and went in search of Draco before he could spread the word. She found him talking loudly with Flint, clearly about to reveal the news. "And Piper…." Draco began.

"Piper would love to play chaser," she interjected loudly, causing Draco to jump slightly.

Flint smiled cruelly and sneered, "Good, because that's where you belong girly." Piper glowered, but decided to ignore the jab. She started to turn away from the two when a gruff male voice shouted from down the corridor, "Oy Piper! Wait a second!"

She peered curiously over her shoulder to find Ernie Mac Millen, her astronomy partner, sprinting down the hall with his robes floating behind him. He slowed to an abrupt stop in front of Draco and Flint, who stared at him curiously, panting for breath and looking only at Piper. "I heard you just got out of the hospital wing… and I *pant* wanted to make sure no one had gotten to you yet."

This confused Piper greatly. "What are you talking about Ernie?"

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Oh I forgot you were in the hospital when it was announced. Halloween is in two weeks," Piper nodded, "and Professor Dumbledore said that we would be having a proper ball for once and I… well..," He stopped short, blushing. Piper smiled encouragingly because she was pretty sure of what he was about to ask she found him quite attractive with his dark eyes and short-cropped black hair. "Well I wanted to know if you'd like to be my date."

Flint made a gagging sound and Draco scoffed, but both looked completely perplexed that Ernie would be attracted to someone like Piper. Ernie and Piper ignored the two onlookers. Piper smiled shyly and accepted, to which Ernie whooped and took off back down the hall, yelling that he would see her later. Cheeks burning with excitement, Piper stood stock-still, replaying the scene in her head.

"What does that Mac Millen think he's playing at?" Draco sneered, laughing raucously with Flint. "Who would want to be within two feet of her, much less touch her?" Piper, not caring how hard they laughed, simply smiled at them and trotted off to the Great Hall to get some food to tame her rumbling stomach.

The news about Piper and Ernie spread quickly through the houses. Slytherins taunted her about being Ernie's 'jewel' while the rest of the school sighed with relief that Piper wasn't completely antisocial. Incidentally, something odd occurred to Piper after the big question; Piper stopped regurgitating every answer.

It first became apparent when Professor McGonagall asked a simple question in Transfiguration. "What spell would be best used to miniaturize a table?" The class turned in unison to look at Piper, but was shocked to see that she wasn't even paying attention. Instead, she was writing swiftly on a piece of parchment. Even Professor McGonagall seemed a bit perturbed.

"Ms. Cornwauld? Are you paying attention?" She asked sternly, her nostrils slightly flared. "What?" Piper responded, finally tearing her eyes from the parchment, "What was the question?" A few students giggled, but most simply stared in shock. "I asked, Piper, what spell would one use to miniaturize a table?" Piper shrugged and mumbled, "I don't know…. the 'reducto' spell I guess," then continued to scribble.

McGonagall, extremely displeased and affronted, marched back to Piper's desk and snatched the parchment from her. Lips pressed in a tight line, Professor McGonagall scanned it quickly, gave Piper a grave stare and placed it back down, much to Piper's relief. "See me after class." She bustled back to the front of the class and surveyed the class who were all giggling at this point, "But you were right Ms. Cornwauld, it is the 'reducto' spell."

Piper turned bright red and placed the parchment inside her Transfiguration book, but still barely listening to anything Professor McGonagall was saying. At the end of class, Piper approached McGonagall's desk where she sat shuffling papers. "Piper," she began, not even looking her in the eye, "I know dating a boy is something new for you, but I would have expected a bright student such as yourself to not let it affect your habits in class."

She turned her hawk-eyes on Piper. "Now, I will let today's mishap slide since you still have a perfect grade in this class, but I might warn you not to act thus in any of your other classes. I am sure every teacher is looking for a reason not to give Slytherin any more points than it already has." For some strange reason, McGonagall smiled. "This is the first time in many years that Slytherin has been so far ahead of all the other houses in points. I am truly mystified as to why you were placed in Slytherin to begin with. You are such a bright student; you may be brighter than our own Hermione Granger."

Piper felt her face grow warm and her hands, clammy. "I really don't know why Professor." She lied. "The sorting hat must always have its reasons, right?" McGonagall nodded slowly and sighed. "Very well, you may leave now. Remember my warning."

Piper stepped away, feeling as though she had missed her chance to spill everything that was happening to her. She wanted to explain why Voldemort had control over her, but she knew no one would understand. They would ridicule her. She had to follow the Dark Lord's orders: he watched everything she did, and somehow seemed to always know what she was thinking.

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It was the day of the Halloween dance and Piper had never been more nervous or excited in her entire life. She had heard rumors of the Weird Sisters singing at the dance. Piper had managed to take McGonagall's words to heart and paid attention in class, but she never went out of her way to answer questions anymore.

Even quidditch didn't seem to have the same passionate effect on her. After the second week of practice, Flint had threatened to replace her if she didn't pay more attention. Everyone seemed to think that Ernie Mac Millen was the culprit (partially true), but no one knew about the terrible message Wormtail had given her over the weekend. "Obtain the last piece or perish like your father".

Piper had tried to reach her father every day since then: through owl and the floo network. Nothing mysterious relating to her father had appeared in the prophet or on the radio, so Piper was forced to believe that Wormtail's threat was empty. But was it really? She hadn't heard from her father since her stay at Aunt Martha's.

"Hey Cornwauld!" Draco roared in her ear. "Pay attention to the new flying combination." Piper shook her head and realized that she had started to float high into the air on her broom and had just missed an easy pass from Josh. "Honestly, is Mac Millen that great of a snog?"

Piper rolled her eyes and focused on what Flint was saying. "Let's try that maneuver one more time. If anyone notices Cornwauld spacing out again, whack her in the head with a bludger." He smiled nastily in her direction, flashing his many yellow teeth.

Several hours (and many rogue bludgers) later, the Slytherin quidditch team trooped off the field, sweaty but confident. "I think we'll be able to flatten Gryffindor tomorrow!" Everyone, besides Piper, cheered.

"Alright everyone, have fun at the dance tonight, but be ready to play tomorrow: Rain, snow or shine." Flint dismissed them. Piper, bruised and sweaty, wanted nothing more than a quick cat nap before her dance preparation.

"That was pathetic," Draco sneered, walking in-step with Piper back to the castle. "I can't believe you actually think you're good at quidditch." Apparently, he was back to his normal, arrogant self. "Keep that up and maybe you'll get yourself kicked off the team," he chuckled, "not that_ I_ care."

"Leave me alone!" Piper had had it. All her rage from quidditch, her father, and Wormtail suddenly unleashed itself. She scrunched up her fist and punched him square in the jaw. "That will teach you to mess with me." She left him cringing on the ground and muttering "I'll get you" and returned to the castle feeling victorious.

Piper, unlike many girls her age, spent only two hours on her hair and makeup; making sure that she was zit-free and that her hair was glossy. When she emerged in an elegant deep plum-colored dress, many of the Slytherin girls glared at her enviously.

Unbeknownst to Piper, in the opposite men's chamber, Draco, Flint and Crabbe were cooking up another fiendish trick to play on Piper. Flint withdrew a small brown package and placed it in Draco's hand. "This is a love potion. All you have to do is drop it in that rat's drink, say the name of the person you want her to fall in love with and soon she'll be a love-sick puppy."

Crabbe tittered unattractively. Draco's lip curled and he asked, "How long does it last?" Flint grinned. "It will last ten minutes; long enough for her to make a fool out of herself because the effects of the potion are severe." They all laughed nastily.

"Did you take care of Mac Millen?" Draco raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

Flint grinned even more grotesquely. "Of course."

"Wow," Hermione breathed when Piper descended the stairs one hour before the ball. "I love your dress."

"Yours is beautiful too, Hermione." Hermione wore a periwinkle blue strapless dress and had her hair in a tight knot at the back of her head.

They were surprised by Ron and Harry rushing down the corridor and stopping in front of them, breathless. "Ernie…boils….hospital wing," was all Ron managed to gag out.

"Wait, slow down. What happened to Ernie?" Hermione looked concerned.

"We just saw Sprout and McGonagall helping Ernie to the hospital wing. He had boils all over him!" Harry seemed physically ill when he pictured it again.

"Oh no," Piper moaned, leaning against the wall. "Things like this always happen to me." Ron and Harry gave piper the once-over and smiled approvingly, much to Hermione's displeasure. "Should I go… see him?" She looked at them for assistance.

They all shook their heads. "He wouldn't want you to see him like that." Piper could see their point. "Why don't you just hang out with us? We don't really have dates either." She smiled solemnly and agreed.

"Yeah, the loser trio needs an addition to its group. You'd be perfect, Cornwauld," Draco drawled while descending the stairs. He wore a pure black suit with a crisp, black shirt underneath. 'He's almost attractive,' Piper thought, then almost smacked herself in the face. Pansy, wearing a horrible fluffy pink dress, was attached to his arm.

"How's your chin, Malfoy," she challenged, noticing a slight bruise on his chin from where she punched him. He narrowed his eyes, refusing to respond, and slithered past to join the rest of his cronies.

Piper explained what happened on the quidditch pitch and they all burst into peals of laughter, but hushed up immediately when the doors to the Great Hall opened. The decorations were spectacular: live bats, ghosts, vampires, floating pumpkins and mounds of Halloween treats. What made it even more appealing was the fact that only the pumpkins gave off light in the very dark room.

Unfortunately for Draco, it would make his plan much more difficult. He was already having difficulty not finding Piper attractive in her tight-fitting dress, and to make matters worse, Pansy wouldn't leave him alone for more than two seconds.

Finally, he managed to lose Pansy in a thick crowd of people and went to fill a cup with punch. He opened the brown package and saw that the love potion was in the shape of an ice cube. He dropped it in and watched it fizz ominously. Draco looked up and saw the perfect person for Piper to fall in love with—Neville. "Oh, Piper is in for a big surprise," he whispered over the drink.

"What about me?" Draco whirled around to find Piper staring suspiciously at him. "Do you always mutter to yourself? Never mind, I don't care. Could you move? I am thirsty." Draco couldn't believe his luck.

He tried to hide his smile. "Here, take this one. It has the last ice cube in it." It was partially true. Draco tried to hand her the cup, but she backed away. "Yeah, like I'm going to take a drink from _you_."

"Oh, Draco! You got me a drink! How sweet!" Pansy hurried over to the table and grabbed the cup from his hand. Panicking, Draco wrenched the cup from her grip and said, "No, no. This is someone else's drink." Pansy sniffed angrily and, to Draco's relief, stomped away.

"Yeah, are you sure there's nothing in that drink?" Piper stared at the contents carefully. "You take a sip then, if there's nothing in it." It was another challenge. Wait, he hadn't said anyone's name yet, so it wouldn't affect him at all.

"I was just being… nice, and you question me?" Piper raised her eyebrow and nodded at the drink again. Draco, pretending as though she had offended him, merely shook his head theatrically and took a small sip from the drink, only to realize that he had indeed said someone's name already….'Piper'.

It took a mere three seconds for the love potion to take effect. Piper, finally assuming nothing was wrong with the drink, reached towards it only to see it drop on the floor. Draco snatched her wrist and whispered huskily, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

Pure horror overtook Piper's facial features. "Excuse me? Is this your idea of a joke?" She tried to slap his hand away, but he gripped even firmer. "I'm serious, Piper. It was your eyes that first got me. They're so deep and green." His eyes seemed to glaze over slightly.

"W-what? Draco, this isn't funny. Let go of me," Piper tried not to sound scared. A couple standing next to her looked over curiously. Draco leaned in more. "And your smell. You smell like vanilla and roses. It's intoxicating." 'Intoxicating?' Okay, something was seriously wrong.

"Draco, what was in that drink?" She asked, hoping he was awake enough to answer. He looked puzzled. "What drink? My one and only drink is your love, Piper." Alright, this was getting ridiculous. Even though she wanted nothing more than to see Draco humiliate himself, Piper didn't want to be personally involved.

Piper took hold of Draco's free arm and dragged him discretely through the thick mass of students. "Where are we going?" Draco looked angry at first, but then his face turned mischievous. "Is it someplace more private?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Piper to feel suddenly ill.

Somehow, without any help from Draco, Piper managed to get them back to the common room—which happened to be student-free. Apparently all of the first years had sneaked down to the ball. With much difficulty, Piper sat Draco down on the nearest couch. She tried again. "What did you put in that drink?" She flipped a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I dunno what you're talking about love." He smiled at Piper dreamily. Piper became very frustrated. "Well, Draco, do you have anything in your pockets?" Draco's eyes fluttered and he slurred, "Say please." Piper rolled her eyes and said grudgingly, "Alright, please."

"Anything for you, darling," he chuckled and searched his pockets, withdrawing the brown bag and handing it over, along with his wand. Piper's eyes widened as she read the crumpled instructions.

**Trey Halor's famous love potion. In the shape on an ice cube, this ingenious little love potion can be slipped into any unsuspecting friend's drink. With no lasting side effects, apart from ten minutes of passionate lust, this potion is popularly used as a prank among friends. Simply say the name of the person of whom the drinker will lust after, and enjoy ten whole minutes of bellyaching laughter. Warning: Effects escalate every minute.**

'So', Piper thought fiercely, 'Draco was trying to get me to make a fool out of myself. I should have known. Look how the tables have turned. At least the ten minutes are almost up.' She crumpled up the bag and threw it into the fire.

Then, Piper made the biggest mistake she could have: she looked Draco directly in the eyes. Intending to wait for the spell to wear off before yelling at him, she was immensely shocked to find Draco's face a mere inch away.

His punch-sweet breath and musky smell overwhelmed her. Before she could even think or speak, Draco's lips descended upon hers. They were wet, but very soft. His hand trailed down her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. Draco began pressing Piper's body into the couch, and maybe because she was in shock, but she didn't even think about protesting. '_Effects escalate every minute.'_

Draco kissing her—it felt… nice. 'Wow, he can kiss.' Every tiny touch against her skin caused Piper to think incoherently. Her stomach tightened and her skin tingled. Piper's hand found its way to Draco's back. 'Wait, what am I doing?' Draco lightly bit her lip and she melted into a puddle. 'No, I shouldn't.' His tongue traced her upper lip and she pressed her hands against his head, needing more. 'How many more minutes?'

After what seemed like ages, they broke apart, gasping for air. Draco stared down dreamily at Piper, his eyes swimming. Slowly, his eyes began to refocus and his smile began to fade. The ten minutes were finally up. Both of their lips still tingled and their hearts still pounded loudly in their chests. Everything suddenly became sharp in Draco's mind. His mouth was wet, his hair was messed up and he was…lying on top of Piper Cornwauld. Worst of all, they weren't alone.

"Well, well. What have we here?"

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Yes. Cliffie! Who else thought the 7th Harry Potter book was fantastic/tragic. Who else sobbed their way through the last six chapters? Reviews are appreciated! –Kukaburry


	7. Chapter 7

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

-Harry Potter Disclaimer-

Chapter 7

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"Well, well. What have we here?" A chilling voice rang through the room.

Every drop of blood drained from Piper's face in an instant. Both she and Draco jumped as far away from each other as they possibly could.

Lucius Malfoy stared moodily at them from the adjacent fireplace. "Wormtail told me you two were in here alone, but I never expected this. Really Draco, I would expect better taste from you." His voice was placid, but it was obvious he was annoyed. Draco blushed while Piper's jaw began to clench angrily.

Draco cleared his throat and nodded his head towards Piper. He said pointedly, "Father, I have _no _idea what you're talking about. Why are you here? What is Wormtail?"

"Draco, if you have not yet realized, this girl was transferred here on the Dark Lord's orders," Lucius replied calmly.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise and his mind reeled. He pointed an accusing finger in Piper's direction. "Her? HER?" Draco's voice dripped with disbelief. "She is under the orders of.. of...Him? That is impossible! She's a muggle-lover."

"Do not refer to the Dark Lord as 'Him'. And yes, as unlikely as it sounds, she is on our side." Lucius sneered, obviously not fully convinced of this idea himself.

"But she told us herself that her father sent her here. Dumbledore said it too," Draco spluttered, refusing to look Piper in the eye.

Lucius chuckled maliciously. "As Piper well knows, what her father's advisors say is what the Dark Lord says."

A low growl escaped Piper's lips. "I won't listen to this. This is my job, and you should know nothing about it. Tell the Dark Lord that he did not keep his promise and I am quitting."

Lucius sneered. "Yes, well, unless you'd like to see another dead family member, go ahead and walk away Piper. You might want to hear what your Father has to say on the subject first though."

Lucius' head disappeared for a moment and suddenly Henry's face appeared, white and boney with chunks of hair missing from his scalp. "P-Piper. Help me. My darling." His voice was raspy and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Then he was gone.

Lucius reappeared. "You know, I would have expected American security to be much tighter than it is. Replacing Henry Cornwauld with our imposter took a mere two minutes. Although much of it was thanks to the hair samples you sent to us."

Piper's eyes welled with tears of rage. "Let my father go! You promised not to hurt him!" She screamed, her face red and splotchy. No matt how much she despised her father's actions, he didn't deserve this treatment. "Let him go! I'm trying my best! I only have one more piece! Please, please!" She ran towards the fire, wanting to strangle Mr. Malfoy's grinning face, but was tugged backwards by a powerful hand. Piper fell in a heap on the floor, face shining with tears.

"Ah, Severus, I am glad to see you got the message in time." Snape's lip curled; he was obviously less than thrilled to see Lucius. "Yes, that was a very foolish way of informing me since there are hundreds of students milling about in the Great Hall at the moment."

"We'll discuss it later Severus, at present we have a certain situation to deal with." Lucius's eyes lingered purposely on Piper.

Draco, barely accepting everything he had just observed, turned to look at Piper as well. Her downcast eyes, tousled hair and angry shaking startled him. Where was the confident, head-strong Piper he had gotten to know?

Piper rubbed a shaky hand over her face while muttering, "Please. Please. Let him go. Please….please".

"Get up," Lucius barked, staring at Piper's tear-stained face with loathing. She remained sitting. "Get up you useless girl."

Her eyes flashed dangerously as she jerked her head up. "I'm useless?" She roared incredulously. "Me? The only one who has been collecting for him? I'm the one with the most to lose! You, Malfoy, are the one closest to Fudge, and what do you do? NOTHING! You never even knew of the crystal Fudge kept at his desk! The Dark Lord could not trust you with that task. Only me!" Piper stood up, her legs still wobbly. "How dare you accuse me of being useless you lazy sack of dung!"

All three stared at her, mouths agape. Snape recovered first. "You're an insolent child. You are not a real servant of the Dark Lord, do not threaten us. We can make you the most miserable human on the face of the planet." Snape's hand flew through the air and landed against Piper's cheek forcefully.

Piper stumbled back, hand covering her burning cheek. Lucius broke the stinging silence. "You were merely lucky that Fudge didn't have it stored away in security." He sniffed, clearly annoyed. "Your orders have changed," he said gravely. "The Dark Lord has deemed it necessary for you to have an accomplice in the search for the final piece. He has informed me that you already know its whereabouts." Piper nodded mutely. "Very well. You have already been….introduced to your new partner." Piper stared at him blankly. "My son, Draco."

A loud, shrill laugh escaped Piper. "You don't seriously expect me to work with.. him!" She threw an anxious glance at Draco. An awkward sensation arose in her stomach. Just her luck to be forced to partner up with a guy who she hated... 'and who happened to be a really good kisser. No, no, no! Stop thinking that!'

Draco seemed to be thinking on the same lines as her because she noticed him shift uncomfortably and watched his face turn a darker shade of red. "Father, what 'mission' are you talking about?"

"This girl here has been collecting certain items. You are to… 'help' her. That is all you need to know." Piper noticed that Lucius's voice was harsh and angry. Apparently he didn't enjoy the idea of his son being put in any kind of danger.

Draco crossed his arms, staring at Piper angrily—like it was all her fault. "Why am I forced to go with her? Why can't she just do it herself?"

Snape cleared his throat. "That is irrelevant Draco. You will do as the Dark Lord commands." His cold black eyes swept over Piper's face as though telling her that she was a failure. Piper stared forcefully back.

A stampede of feet could be heard thundering up the steps down the hall. "I must go now. I will contact you later," Lucius announced. He seemed ready to disappear, but instead looked at Piper once more. "In case you were wondering, we enjoyed reading all those… touching letters you wrote to your father. Too bad he'll never receive them." Piper whimpered with suppressed rage as Lucius left with a quiet 'pop'.

The tension hanging in the air was palpable. Snape and Draco stared at Piper, expecting her to erupt at any moment. A thousand questions were running through Draco's mind, but he dared not ask any at the moment.

Piper exhaled loudly and glared at Snape. "Don't think you don't have something coming Severus Snape." She whirled around, silk tresses floating over the floor, and stomped off up the stairs.

Snape coughed. "Well Draco, we will discuss tonight's events another time. You should go to bed now." Draco nodded mutely, and Snape whisked away through the entrance just before a herd of Slytherins surged in chatting animatedly about the delightful ball.

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Piper sat in her bed, hangings pulled closed, and wept silently for hours. Her father, like her mother, was in terrible trouble. The Dark Lord had begun plotting four years ago, during the reappearance of Harry Potter. He had heard news of Piper Cornwauld's connections through her father, her infamy at magic and her 'good girl' image. Her mother was a well-known Auror. Piper went with her mother and father on many adventures around the world and met with many ministers. Piper was the most influential 12-year old in the world; this combined with her youth and intelligence made Piper a perfect target for the Dark Lord's plans.

Piper thought back to the fateful trip to Albania with her mother; her father's furious face when she returned alone, unable to explain her mother's disappearance. Piper slammed her fist into her pillow, cursing herself once again for being so weak. 'No, not weak. I'm doing this to save another's life.'

Nothing was going to change her mood. She slipped out of her bed and snuck downstairs into the common area with her copy of Qudditch Through the Ages. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and snuggled up next to the fire, not expecting any sleep for the next few days. She read through the first chapter, feeling her mood lighten up again. She fell asleep next to the fire and dreamed of taking off on her broom and escaping everything, but every time she flew past the castle she fell as though something were dragging her back, keeping her tied to Hogwarts.

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Piper awoke early, having only a few hours of restless sleep, to humming outside of the windows. The skies were gray and ominous. Piper peeked through the windows and saw the quidditch pitch alive with activity. "Today is the Gryffindor match!" She squeaked and ran groggily to her room to change. The clock face read eight, and the game began at eleven. Flint would not be happy if she were late to warm-ups. She tossed on her green and black robes, emblazoned with a serpent that seemed to slither around her body.

As Piper entered the Great Hall, Harry Ron and Hermione waved her over furtively. Several Slytherins hissed at her abandoning their table for Gryffindors, especially when it included Harry Potter. As soon as Piper sat, Hermione went straight to the point, "What happened last night? Where did you go with Malfoy?" Piper's cheeks burned red with embarrassment, but she hid behind her own version of the night's events. "We went to find Professor Snape because I wanted to turn Malfoy in for trying to spike my drink with magic, which I caught just in time."

All three breakfast mates gasped when they heard this and prodded her for more information. Piper was enjoying her woven tale until she looked up and saw Draco eyeing her steadily. What disconcerted her most was that he wasn't staring at her angrily, but as though he was studying her. His hair wasn't as greasy this morning and actually looked well-kempt for a change. Her stomach twinged with guilt and she tore her eyes away. "Good luck today Harry," she mumbled at the table.

"I wish you had gotten seeker instead of Malfoy," Harry said, smiling encouragingly. Shrugging, Piper sighed and placed her cheek in her hand. "You know Slytherin. They can't stand change." Everyone smiled and Piper felt a bit more cheerful, even if she was exhausted.

Flint bellowed to his teammates as did Katie Bell, and the Slytherins and Gryffindors parted ways towards the pitch. The Great Hall buzzed with excitement as soon as the teams exited.

The Slytherins huddled together in the back changing area. Piper found herself squished between Gregory and Draco, much to her chagrin. Josh, Gabriel and Vincent made the other half of the circle around Flint who bared his teeth at everyone. "Listen you maggots, we are going to win this year. Those no-talent Gryffindors will get what's coming to them. I don't care what it takes, make them lose.. hard." A malicious glint gleaned in Flint's eyes, and Piper was sure it meant trouble.

'If that fool kills Potter, I will be very displeased', Piper thought angrily. She rolled her eyes and turned to the side. Draco's arm accidentally brushed against Piper and her body flushed a tomato red. Draco, she could have sworn, turned nearly the same color, but he pulled his body further away. Both were tense while the rest of the team chanted a fight song, starting low and growing slowly louder as they walked onto the pitch. The Slytherin crowd roared and a sparse few claps came from the Hufflepuff crowd. The rest of the crowd remained quiet, waiting for the Gryffindors to emerge.

The Gryffindors flew from their changing room as red and gold streaks to an electrified crowd. Every house screamed at the top of their lungs in support besides the Slytherins who hissed and booed the enemy. Both teams took their place. Piper hovered next to Katie Bell and Draco next to Harry. Draco mumbled something inaudible to Harry, who merely narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his Firebolt. 'I wonder if Potter is really as good as they say'. A Firebolt coupled with amazing dodging abilities could cause problems for Slytherin.

Madam hooch released the bludgers along with the snitch which disappeared into the sky. The quaffle was thrown in the air and Josh snatched it immediately. Piper got into a groove, feeling every flying combo flowing through her. She caught a pass and threw it smoothly to Gabriel who scored an easy goal. This continued for the next ten minutes and suddenly Slytherin was winning 80 to 10. The gold-clad crowd became restless and frustrated.

Piper looked for Harry and Draco during a two-man drive by Gabriel and Josh. She spotted them near Crabbe and Goyle who both took swings at Harry with their clubs as he passed by. 'All Slytherins are filthy cheaters. Why can't I be on a real team?' Piper looked to her left and spotted the Snitch at the bottom of the pitch flying aimlessly and her heart pounded. She could grab it and pass it to Malfoy, but that might be cheating, she wasn't sure. A loud gong indicated that Slytherin had scored once again. She zoomed towards Draco who looked shocked to see her flying at him. She stopped short and leaned in to whisper "Snitch to your right".

Draco narrowed his eyes and shoved past her, purposely ignoring her comment. He circled Harry then headed towards the ground, but the Snitch was long gone. Frustrated, Piper tore after him angrily, ignoring Flint's yelling. "What did you do that for? You could have gotten it you twit!"

"I don't need your help Cornwauld." He hissed, flying away again. They were back to last name only status. Gryffindor scored a goal and the crowd roared with pleasure. Piper returned to Josh and Gabriel, neither very pleased, and attempted to focus again. She felt sloppy and fumbled the quaffle numerous times. Flint's raging did not help her performance either. The Gryffindors caught up quickly and soon they were dead even at 90 to 90.

Flint called a time out and the Slytherins huddled on the field. Flint snarled and leaned in towards Piper "What is wrong with you Cornwauld? If you drop the quaffle one more time, I'll bludger you with Crabbe's club. Get your head straight!" He shoved her hard. Piper wouldn't take anymore. She shoved him right back, growling "I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone. You should be guarding the goals better, that's what you should do." Baring his teeth, Flint spat on the ground. "Don't mess up again."

Everyone besides Draco glared at her and walked back towards the center of the field. Draco wouldn't even look in her direction. She stomped past him and shouldered him, hard. Draco grunted and Piper smiled, satisfied. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly; she reverted to calm memories of flying when she was little while her parents stood below her, making sure she didn't fall. Memories flooded her mind, bringing her back to reality and what lay ahead. She briefly turned and looked over her shoulder at Draco, staring him down and he stared right back, just as determined.

Both took off and returned to the circle where Gryffindor restarted play. The sky turned black and the wind began to howl. A loud crack of thunder shook the stadium below and rain poured down. The crowd covered themselves with coats and towels, but the poor players became soaked instantly. Piper could barely see three feet in front of her. Several bludgers flew close to her face and she barely dodged. Gabriel shouted several yards to her left and she flew in that direction. Somehow she had stolen the quaffle and she needed help making it to the goal. Piper lead the way, effectively hiding Gabriel's figure. They reached the unmanned posts and threw the quaffle in.

Lightening lit up the sky and Piper saw two bodies flying quickly upwards. Harry and Draco had spotted the Snitch! Piper already knew that Harry was the more skilled flyer. This was her moment; she would prove that she was the rightful seeker for Slytherin. Piper flew across the field and in mere seconds had nearly caught up to Draco. Another flash lit up the sky and Piper saw Flint grab Vincent's club and slam a bludger towards Harry. The other bludger flew from the opposite side, hit by Gregory. The first bludger slammed into Harry's stomach, nearly unseating him and slowing him down significantly.

Piper was now dead even with Draco nearly 800 feet above the ground, the snitch within reach. Draco looked directly at Piper through the haze. Out of nowhere, a bludger hit Draco in the face with a sickening crunch. His hands slipped off the handle and he fell backwards. Piper watched as though it were a slow-motion film. The snitch brushed against her hand and she wanted with all of her being to grab onto and claim victory, but she stopped dead and flipped 180 degrees in the sky, barreling after Draco.

She caught his sleeve and tried to yell at him, "Draco! Grab my hand!" He looked up, groggily and attempted to clasp her arm, but couldn't get a good grip. "Grab it! Come on!" Piper urged, sensing the ground rushing up to meet them. Draco slung his arm around her neck and they began to slow while Piper pulled up her Nimbus quickly. The wind began to push them backwards and the rain poured down fast and hard. Piper's grip became slippery and with the extra weight, their flight became unstable. One last gust from the left caused Piper to lose all control and they free-fell back to earth. Piper held on to Draco's cloak and the last thing she heard was an eruption of cheering from the crowd, then everything went black.

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Yay I finally updated the story! I had completely forgotten how much I enjoyed writing this story. I already have half of chapter 7 written too! I'll update tomorrow or the next day depending on my free time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think! ~Kukaburry


	8. Chapter 8

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

-Harry Potter Disclaimer-

Chapter 8

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"Will there be any lasting effects Madam Pomfrey?" A strong, but aged voice asked.

"No, both should recover fully. The boy has a cracked skull and a few broken bones— nothing too serious. Miss Cornwauld will have to be looked after longer since she only just got out last week with a shattered arm and a broken collar bone. She's been talking in her sleep as well, and crying. Quidditch is really a very dangerous sport. I don't know why there aren't more falling precautions."

"Yes, I agree, quidditch is tricky and I want to know the cause of their fall. Let's let them rest a little bit longer. Their bodies are tired from the potions, I'm sure. We'll ask what happened later. And if they wake up before I return, let them know that we collected their broomsticks and placed them in their rooms."

"Yes, that would be best. I will be sure to inform them headmaster, goodnight."

Piper attempted to open her eyes, but felt as though sandbags were sitting on top of her eyelids. She didn't want to sleep anymore since all of her dreams were permeated with terrifying memories and thoughts of her bleak future. She tried to speak, but her throat felt constricted and only a little squeak escaped her lips. The little light that filtered through her eyelids suddenly vanished and she was alone once more in the dark.

A ruffle of bed sheets came from the bed next to Piper and a voice spoke low and mumbled. "Take my hand." Piper wondered wearily if she was dreaming. "No… Piper… take my hand…" The voice spoke more fervently. Piper unknowingly reached out her hand, using all of her strength, and found herself touching fingertips with the person next to her. A happy ripple ran through her stomach just before she drifted back into a deep and dreamless sleep.

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"Piper, Piper my darling. Wake up. You're going to be late for school."

Piper felt warm and safe, curled up in a ball in her bed. "Five more minutes mom. You always wake me too early." She mumbled, burying herself back into the pillows and blankets.

"Piper.. Piper..Piper.. wake up." The soft voice urged.

Piper began to get annoyed. "I said I'll get up later. Let me sleep mom."

"Piper! Can you hear me Piper? Piper?" It suddenly dawned on Piper that something might be wrong. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes wide, expecting her mom to be hovering over her. A woman with long gray hair and large spectacles peered at her, face showing relief.

"Where's my mom? She was just calling me." Piper croaked, voice hoarse from a lack of water. She looked at her surroundings- high domed ceiling, stone walls and rows of white beds- and realized that she was not at home, not even close. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She felt feverish all of a sudden and scared. Who was this woman and why was she in this room?

"Everything is fine Piper. Calm down. You had an accident and hit your head. You might need to jog your memory a bit to remember." The woman spoke calmly and tried to sooth the frantic girl.

Piper closed her eyes and tried to recall what had happened. She had seen this woman recently. Madam Pomfrey was her name. Flint had hit her with a bludger and she fell. Of course, she was at Hog warts and she had been playing quidditch against Gryffindor! It had begun to rain and Draco fell. "Oh! We fell off the broom during the match. Where's Draco?" She scanned the room and discovered it to be empty. "What happened to him?"

"Mr. Malfoy was sent back to classes two days ago. He had the worst injuries of the two of you, but he recovered rather quickly. I was beginning to worry about you since you seemed to be healed, but you didn't want to wake up." She patted Piper on the arm. "You only sustained a bump to the head and a broken arm, again." She raised her eyebrow at Piper in a 'I'm going to see you again aren't I' way. "You had a few visitors come by asking about you: Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, Mr. MacMillan- who looked nearly in tears, poor boy- and the Headmaster. Even Mr. Malfoy came by just a few minutes ago to check on you, although he told me not to mention it. What a silly request that was; anyone in the hospital would like to know when someone is concerned about them! You've been in the hospital wing for four days Ms. Cornwauld. A lot of people are curious about what happened."

"I guess it was hard to see through the rain. Can I go back to classes now? I feel pretty good." She lifted up her arms and waved them around, but felt no pain in them. "I do not want to miss classes since I have end of semester exams in a month and OWLS at the end of the year."

Madam Pomfrey sighed and looked her over quickly. "Well it seems as though you are fully mended, so I suppose you should be alright to head off to classes. I told the headmaster that I would keep you here until he had a chance to speak with you, but I think he'll understand your worries about your classes. One last warning, be careful on that broomstick of yours." She gave Piper a stern look.

Piper nodded her head in assurance. "Thank you for your help, I'll head out now." She looked at the clock and realized it was lunch time in the Great Hall. After collecting her wand and shoes from Madam Pomfrey, Piper went to find food for her rumbling stomach. She pushed open the large doors and looked towards Slytherin's table, searching for Draco. He was nowhere to be found. Several Slytherins noticed her and began whispering to each other and pointing in her direction. Instead of being angry, they seemed surprised and curious about her return. A few of her roommates attempted to wave her over, but she headed straight for Potter.

Ron was the first to look up and notice Piper. "Hey, you look better today! Three days ago you looked dead white!" Piper smiled grimly and sat down next to Hermione.

"Yes, we were really concerned because Malfoy got out of the hospital wing two days ago, but you still hadn't woken up," Hermione added. "After Monday night, Madam Pomfrey told us you were finally recovering and looked as though you would wake soon."

Piper was glad to have people concerned about her, but Harry was the only one not as enthused by her appearance. He looked at her calmly. "Why did you go after the snitch?"

Piper's stomach burned with guilt. Both Hermione and Ron threw warning glances at Harry, but Piper answered truthfully. "I… I wanted to compete with you." Harry looked shocked, not expecting this answer. "I wanted nothing more than to prove that I could be as good of a seeker as Harry Potter. I used to lead my team at my old school, but then I get here and I have to start all over again." She couldn't continue without giving herself away. She didn't want to become true friends with Harry Potter; not when she knew what she had to do.

Harry studied her for a moment, deep in thought, then stuck out his hand in consolation. "I understand. Competition fuels me while I'm playing. It's easy to let it get out of control." Piper clamped her hand firmly in his and shook.

"We'll have a real competition by ourselves one night, just for fun." She suggested, and Harry smiled in agreement. "I guess Gryffindor won, right? I remember hearing cheering." Harry sighed and nodded.

"I didn't see where you were and the snitch was in front of my face, so I snatched it. I would have tried to help you guys if I had known you were falling. It was impossible to see anything in that rain." Harry explained sincerely.

"Well, it was well-fought Harry. You deserved to win." Piper shrugged it off. There was another match against Gryffindor in spring. It would be a better test and hopefully better weather.

At this point, nearly everyone was talking about Piper since she hadn't been seen in quite a few days. Ernie MacMillan jumped up from his table, ran over to Piper and stopped dead by her shoulder. Piper turned around and scanned his face for signs of boils. "Wow you look great Ernie. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to...er…hang out at the dance."

Ernie grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. "No, don't even think about the dance. I don't even want to talk about what happened that night. Stupid Slytherins playing a joke, that's all. I'm so happy you're out of the hospital, we were all pretty worried about you." He stopped and squeezed her shoulder. "I hope we can pick up from the other day, now that we are both free from the hospital wing. I was wondering if you were thinking about going to Hogsmeade this weekend? You have to try the butterbeer."

Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw Hermione, Harry and Ron pass knowing looks and grins. 'I guess hanging out with a boy wouldn't distract me too much. I could fit in and become a 'regular' student in their eyes as well.' "I think Hogsmeade would be a great idea. I've never been there, but I've heard a lot of great things, especially about the butterbeer." She smiled sincerely at Ernie whose face lit up.

"Excellent, I'll see you on Saturday then." He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek and walked away. Piper flushed and sat back down, covering her grin. She looked up and saw several people giggling and trying to give Ernie high fives on his way down the aisle. Fred and George Weasley made kissy faces at Ernie and tried singing love songs to him, to the applause of the surrounding crowd.

Piper giggled and turned her head towards the Great Hall entrance. Standing in the corner was Draco, having seen the whole scene. A bag of pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs, Piper's favorite candy, hung from his hand. He noticed Piper staring at him and quickly walked to the back of the Slytherin table and threw the chocolates towards Crabbe and Goyle. Draco stared at his fingertips, deep in thought and Piper looked down at her own, trying to recall something, like from a dream, but it escaped her.

'I wonder if he remembers what happened. He probably thinks I was just trying to steal his glory.' Piper thought bitterly while biting into a biscuit. Her next class on Thursdays was Potions, and she would have to sit in front of him through the entire class. She began to wonder why Draco came to visit her in the hospital wing. Perhaps he wanted to know what happened and why they fell. 'We just need to talk, face to face in private. That will get everything out in the open. If I'm working with him, we need to get past whatever is between us.'

Piper took a last sip of water and made her way to the lower dungeons. She hated this part of the castle. It seemed to suck the happiness out of everyone. 'The perfect lair for Snape.' She entered the dank dungeon and took her usual seat. Draco entered directly after her and plopped silently into his seat. He seemed more sullen than usual. No 'Muggle-lover' or 'Potter groupie' comments were spoken to her. He just sat there, brooding. She didn't want to look at him yet, but her curiosity got the best of her and she turned in her seat.

Draco narrowed his eyes and grimaced. "Can I help you?"

"Do you remember what happened during the game?" She stared directly into his eyes and saw a glimmer of something confused and sad, then it disappeared instantly.

"You tried to steal the snitch from me and a bludger knocked me off my broom, then you lost control of your broom and fell." He spoke so calmly and definitively that Piper nearly believed this version of events herself. She felt all of her romantic hopes fall to the floor. She wanted to leave the room and cry right then.

"I see. I guess I just got competitive," she sighed and gave in to the inevitable. He hadn't been worried about her, and he hadn't been trying to thank her for trying to rescue him. He just wanted to know, like Harry, why she had tried to go after the snitch herself. Piper couldn't even remember herself why she had. The purpose of her mission flooded back into her mind, erasing all other feelings of sadness and hurt. "So never mind what happened then." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "If we are going to work together to accomplish the task we were given, then you need to be filled in. I don't care how much you despise me, or how much I despise you. This is real. This mission is happening right now. We won't be successful if we don't communicate. So, meet me tonight out by the lake near the forest at 11. Don't get caught." She gave a head nod for emphasis and turned to face the front of the classroom.

Draco sat there dumbfounded and annoyed at being treated like a simpleton. "I'll be there," He replied quietly to her back. Piper bit her lip and felt her disappointment leaden her entire body. She should have known that nothing would ever happen with them. The night of the dance was something she would need to erase from her mind. She reminded herself that she didn't even want that night to happen. 'I'm finally going to do what I came here for.'

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Night came quickly, as it does near the end of fall. Piper bundled up and hurried outside before any teacher could spot her. It was only a few minutes before 11. Piper snuck down the slopes past Hagrid's Hut and stopped by the Forest's edge at a dry patch of grass and took a seat. The moon shone through the patches of sky not covered by clouds, scintillating the surface of the lake. An unusually warm breeze rolled off the top of the lake, and Piper felt very comfortable and drowsy.

A low growl came from the woods behind Piper and she jumped around immediately. A pair of eyes glowed from the undergrowth near the edge of the forest. "I'm here Cornwauld." A voice spoke directly behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She spun around quickly, covering her thumping heart. "Oh, it's just you. Don't sneak up on people like that. It's rude." Piper looked warily behind her, but the eyes had disappeared. Whatever creature had been there, it didn't find her interesting.

"Scared of the forest?" Draco asked casually, raising an amused eyebrow.

"I'm not scared. There was something there. Some kind of dog or wolf." Draco continued to stare at her, unbelieving. "You know, it doesn't matter. There was something there, now it's gone. Let's get down to it." Piper gave Draco a stern stare now and he rolled his eyes in consent.

"I never asked to be a part of this. I never expected my parents to force me into something like this. They always told me that I should be a supporter, but that I would never have to be in danger." He spoke solemnly, feeling betrayed.

"Parents lie. I know that better than most. They promise you that they'll never let you get hurt. They promise you that they'll never get hurt themselves. Why would they promise that when they know it's not true?" Piper paused, feeling a burning in her eyes. "Parents are foolish. I learned not to take them at their word."

Draco was silent for minute, considering this option. "You think that about your parents? What happened?" He asked, curious.

Piper closed her eyes tight and breathed. "I can't tell you. It happened a while ago." The piercing laugh and bright green light was burned into her mind. "What matters now Draco, is that you were assigned to this task whether you wanted to be or not. We're the same in that aspect, so I need you to listen to me and trust me; otherwise you're putting your life in danger." Draco turned a pale green, but swallowed and nodded. "Alright, the Dark Lord came to me with a mission. He had learned about a secret source of power that had long ago been forgotten. He said not even Dumbledore himself knew about it. There was a rainbow crystal created by three wizards in an attempt to harness the source of magic."

"What they created was pure power that possessed the second of the three wizards and he killed his comrades, wanting the crystal for himself. They say he used the crystal and performed any act he thought of- bringing back the dead, taking lives, anything. The ministry of the time fought with a thousand men against him and finally captured him. They broke the crystal into pieces, not wanting to completely destroy it since it was something unique, and it turned into eight different-colored fragments. So they separated each piece to places far away, hoping no one ever found it again. Some pieces were given as gifts and some were buried where they thought no one would find them. That was five hundred years ago. All eight pieces of the crystal found its way into the hands of a minister as a special gift. The crystal seeks a person with a position of power. Somehow every person who touches the crystal feels its hidden energy and knows that it is something special. None know how to use the crystal to their advantage, but I do."

"My father gave me his green crystal when I was seven as an ornament for my room. I never let it out of my sight, because I could feel something coming from it, and I wanted to know what it was. I began to carry it around and things happened the way I wanted them to. I would think about a mug of hot chocolate and my mother would carry one out a minute later. I never asked for it out loud, so I knew there was something special. It never occurred to me to use it for any terrible deed. When the Dark Lord found me, he somehow knew what I possessed, and told me about the crystal's true power. He needed a body before he could take possession of the crystal, so while he searched for a way to bring back his body, I began to search for the crystals fragments. It has taken longer than the Dark Lord wanted. He has his body and is eager to use the full power of the crystal."

"This is why the Dark Lord wants your help as well. Our age gives us an advantage since most adults see us as innocent. I merely hold onto my piece of crystal and any possessor of the other fragments hand them over as a 'present'. I have been having trouble getting in touch with the person who holds the final fragment of crystal. I'm not sure how you are to help me with this problem, but I know enough to not question a direct command from the Dark Lord." She finished with a sigh and looked up at Draco, trying to judge his reaction.

Draco stood stock still, barely breathing and then he began to laugh a gut-wrenching laugh. "Oh this is the best story I've ever heard. Did my father plan this? I refuse to believe that the Dark Lord would put all of his trust in a girl like you! Are you mental? What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not nearly THIS gullible. What kind of joke is this? You are a terrible liar, I see right through you. I don't know why or how my father talked you into this, but you can stop the charade now." He stared at her, disgusted and walked back towards the castle.

Piper began screaming at the top of her lungs. "Voldemort killed my mom! Do you know that? Right in front of me! He took out his wand and murdered her and then laughed. He laughed! I was only 13 and I watched my die." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "He made sense though, when he told me about why he was asking me for help. He was right about my father. My father was the one who sent my mom to Albania in the first place. I have nothing in the world left to lose now, except my life. And I like living. The Dark Lord knows that, and he's going to do great things with the crystal and he's going to give me a better life. I'm not going to be my dad's damn puppet anymore. You just watch Draco Malfoy. You don't believe now, but when I become the new Minister of Magic, you'll have no choice but to believe."

Draco stopped by the edge of the lake, even more confused by her outburst. This could not be true, he didn't want to believe it. Piper stormed up to him, face contorted with rage and stopped only inches from his face. "I don't need your help Malfoy. You can get eaten by the giant squid for all I care." She shoved Draco hard in the chest and he careened backwards into the freezing waters of the lake.

Sludge covering his entire body, Draco dragged himself from the lake's icy grip. His teeth began to chatter from the November chill that crept into his soaking wet clothes. He watched Piper's receding figure and thought out loud, "Okay Cornwauld, maybe you're telling the truth, but I'm going to get you back."

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I'm happy I finally got a chance to explain Piper's character fully. You know how I write stories? I write the first chapter and the last chapter then fill in things in between. :D I'm so hoping this has a Darcy/Elizabeth moment. Like I said, the story writes itself.

As always, keep your pants up! No seriously, saggy pants aren't attractive.  ~Kukaburry


	9. Chapter 9

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

-Harry Potter Disclaimer-

Chapter 9

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Piper spent the next day brooding. Fridays were always Piper's most hectic schedule days with 5 classes she had to run back and forth to. 'I shouldn't have taken Arithmancy this year, it's taking up so much of my time.' Between Astronomy, History of Magic and Ancient Runes, Piper had no time to think about anything. Ernie hogged all of her attention during lunch with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and during study hall she immersed herself in her Astronomy book in preparation for a practical exam the next week. It almost seemed like a bad idea to take time off for Hogsmeade tomorrow. The rest of the day flew by and Piper fell dead asleep at 9pm, exhausted and dreading the morning.

A flurry of snow came in the middle of the night and covered the entire countryside in a white blanket. When Piper awoke in the morning, the muffled silence from outside excited her. The sight of rolling hills of white caused Piper to gasp. All thoughts of staying inside and studying flew from her mind. She changed into her warm trousers and sweater and hurried outside with the rest of the school. She rarely saw snow in her hometown, so she wanted to enjoy every moment of this snowfall.

She stood in the courtyard archway, in awe of the beautiful scenery. The air was crisp and seemed to flow through her whole body, causing her to shiver slightly. Snow crunched a few feet from her and she looked over to find Draco opposite of her, staring out at the snow and everyone romping through it. "I owe you an apology." He said, still facing away. "I thought about what you told me, and I can see where you're coming from. I'm not saying that I can help you, because I don't know if I can, but I want to try." He turned to face her now. "I hope you'll let me try."

Piper didn't trust him. She narrowed her eyes unbelieving of his supposed sincerity. "Right, what changed your mind?"

Draco smiled and replied, "You pushing me into the lake. Let's say I had some sense knocked into me. I figured you wouldn't have gotten that upset if you were faking the whole thing, unless you're a loon," he studied her for a minute. "I'm pretty sure you're not a loon."

"I was hoping you _would_ get eaten by the squid. I told you, I don't need your help. You told me you don't want to be here, so don't be here."

Draco continued his barrage with a genuinely sincere expression. "I do want to help. It sounds like you could use the help from what I heard last night. Honestly, I want to hear the whole of what we need to do."

Piper considered him for a moment and decided she would give him a chance. He was right about her needing help, she had always wished she had had a companion on her trips. Always sanctioned by her father's advisors, she had gone by their bidding. This trip was her final, and seemed to be taking the longest. "Fine, I guess. It would be nice to get some of this off of my chest."

With a small smile, Draco tapped the arch and said, "Great. I thought I could show you a cool house up behind Hogsmeade. No one goes up there since they think it's haunted by a mean ghost, but it's not really. I go in there all the time."

"That sounds interesting. I've always wanted to see a violent ghost, maybe you just need to ask it to come out?" Piper mused, wondering how she would protect herself if there was indeed a ghost that threw chairs and tables. "But why do we have to meet there? Isn't there somewhere else?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "No, not unless you want everyone to know what you're doing. It's warmer than being outside too. We'll go during the day too so that it doesn't seem as scary."

Draco shrugged his shoulders, convinced that he made a good point.

Piper pondered for a moment, then conceded. "Okay, I'll meet you up there." They set a time for the afternoon.

"Hey Piper! Want to head over now? We can stop at all of the shops and I can give you a tour." Ernie yelled as he ran up to meet her. He cast a dirty look at Draco, then took Piper by the hand and led her away towards Hogsmeade. Piper glanced over her shoulder and gave Draco a small parting smile. Draco smirked and headed back inside to plan his surprise for Piper.

Everything seemed to fly by, the speed Ernie was hurrying her through town. They peeked in Gladrags Wizard Wear, popped into Deverish and Bangs, glanced at Zonko's and finally stopped for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. Piper felt cozy inside the tidy pub. The nippy air outside couldn't find a seam to squeeze through.

"Are you enjoying our date?" Ernie shoved into the seat next to Piper and slung an arm casually around her shoulders. "I picked out all the fun things to do today because I figured you've never had a chance to see everything."

"You're right, I've been so busy with school that I've never even been here." Ernie looked ecstatic at this confession and urged her to drink up.

"We have a lot more yet to see." Piper almost groaned at the idea. She was tired and fed up with Ernie's chatter already. "I want to show you the post office, the pet store, the candy shop.."

Piper held up a hand to make him stop. "I actually have to meet a friend at a tea shop down the road. Would it be alright if we parted ways for about an hour? I'll meet you right back here afterwards." She gave him her best innocent smile. He seemed downtrodden and sulky, but he agreed eventually.

Piper padded around the table and exited before Ernie could follow her. According to her sources, the haunted shack was a couple hundred meters from Hogsmeade. She trudged through the snow until the tip of her nose became completely numb. She rounded a curve and sitting on top of a sinking hill were shambles of a house. "This must be the shrieking shack."

"It took you long enough to get here." Draco pushed himself off of a tree in the shadows, chewing on a piece of fudge from the chocolate shop. "Where's your lap dog, Ernie?" He smirked at her glare.

"He doesn't go everywhere that I do," she grumbled grudgingly, annoyed that Draco noticed how clingy Ernie was. He saw her shift uncomfortably and grinned nastily.

"I'm guessing you lied to him right?" When she remained silent he laughed. "Figures. Well let's get this meeting over with now." A gust of freezing air blew from the north, chilling them both to the bone.

At first, Piper felt confident that the shack was not haunted, but upon closer inspection she noticed that the upper curtains in the house seemed to move of their own accord. "Are you sure we're alone here?" She half-whispered, a slight tremble beginning to shake her lower legs.

"Scared of ghosts?" He chided while secretly grinning to himself.

"No, I'm just asking a simple question," she lied.

"Yeah right," he muttered knowing full-well she was in for a nasty fright.

Once they reached the front door, Draco found several loose boards and pried them off. After several tugs, the door creaked open. "Ladies first," Draco motioned for her to go ahead."

She sneered at him, "You're so considerate."

Utter blackness enveloped her the moment she stepped in with Draco close on her heels. "Don't get lost," he breathed into her ear, causing her to jump considerably.

"Lumos," she barked, whipping out her wand. Dust kicked up into the air around them and both began to hack out the grime.

Piper walked towards the rear of the entrance hall where saw the outline of what she thought was a kitchen. "Let's go that way." A creak overhead caused her to jump back and grab ahold of Draco's forearm.

Draco rolled his eyes impatiently and stated simply, "Wind." Piper nodded, but continued to grip him firmly. "You can let go now."

Piper stared at him defiantly, "You're not getting away that easily Draco Malfoy. You're staying right where I can see you."

"I think you're being paranoid. Or maybe you just like holding my arm?" He looked almost pleased at the idea.

"Fat chance. I'd rather be paranoid than attracted to you." Luckily Draco had no idea how big of a lie that was. She practically dragged him the rest of the way to the kitchen.

Draco stared down at his arm and noticed several dark spots where Piper had clung to him.

"Great, I'm going to have bruises."

Ignoring his comments, Piper searched for remnants of stools and chairs. She finally found a teetering wooden chair for herself and a three-legged stool for Draco. "Alright, let's get down to business." She took Draco's silence as a sign to continue. "We're looking for the last fragment. The red fragment. According to my sources it belongs to Sirius Black."

"What? You have got to be kidding me. Sirius Black the escaped convict from Azkaban?" Piper gave him a grave nod. "Impossible. No one knows where he is."

"That's not entirely true. Your pal Snape has been keeping track of him by pretending to be Dumbledore's favorite. Snape has tried several times to get information from him using vertisserium, but Black is very suspicious of Snape." Speaking about Snape caused Piper's voice to tremble.

Draco glowered at her description of Snape. "But how are we supposed to get the information if even he can't get it?"

A slow, knowing smile lit up her features. "Potter." It had been her object thus far. Even though they were on friendly terms, he still had not confided anything interesting to her.

A spark of recognition crossed Draco's eyes. "So that's why you've been so lovey-dovey with Potter and his idiots."

"You catch on quickly, Malfoy. Yes, you and I might be able to get him to confess something." Suddenly her chair began to levitate. "Draco help me down!" He jumped up and tugged on her arm until she slid out of her seat into his arms. Her face pressed hard against his chest and she felt his arms grip her tightly.

Draco's breathing became labored, "Don't move. There are stories about this ghost where people tried to run away and it trapped them in the basement."

Face growing red from embarrassment, Piper nudged him away, rolling her eyes. "Bullshit. Only poltergeists can hurt people, idiot."

Heavy footsteps thudded down the stairs and Piper whirled around, wand at the ready. "Flipping hell. What was that?" She peered through the inky dark, trying to make out what had come down the stairs. "Do you see anything?" She asked and turned around to find Draco missing.

"Damnit Malfoy, I swear on Merlin's socks that I'll hex you to your grave if you try to scare me." She heard a snigger to her left and whipped around; no one was there. A cold draft blew across her neck make her hair stand on end.

A shapeless mass formed several yards in front of her and began to glide towards her. Acting on instinct, Piper roared, "Petrifigus Totalus!" If it had been an actual ghost, her spell would have had no effect, but as it was several objects thumped to the ground instantly.

Light flickered on in the den illuminating Draco, Crabbe and Goyle completely immobile underneath several sewn blankets. "You imbeciles," she muttered, kicking them in the shins. "You think you can scare me that easily? I'll be the one laughing when you wake up without any clothes on!" She kicked them again. One of Crabbe's legs snapped in half and Draco's head rolled away, blood dripping from the severed neck. Terrified, Piper began screaming at the top of her lungs. "Shit! Shit! Fuck! What have I done?"

Tears began pouring down her cheeks. "I've never seen this before! Holy Merlin, I've killed them!" She tried to put Crabbe's leg back in place and shakily reached for Draco's head. "Malfoy, wake up! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Oh Merlin help me!" Hiccuping cries escaped her and stopped dead when she heard a voice speak directly behind her.

"I didn't know you cared so much." In complete shock, Piper dropped the head and looked directly at Draco who was alive and in one piece. She looked from the severed head to his head and tried to breathe, but couldn't find any air.

She took one, two, three steps forward and dropped in a dead faint.

* * *

Updated! Holy crap that took... 1 year... Yay! I feel so proud. I hope you'll forgive me! I'll serve you an imaginary bowl of ice cream with chocolate frog sprinkled on top.


	10. Chapter 10

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Chapter 10

A single ray of light that shone through the dingy window fell on Piper's unconscious face. Draco bent over her and checked to see if she was still breathing. Satisfied that he hadn't scared her to death, he sighed and sat back on his heels. "You scare too easily," he said, watching her face for signs of waking up soon.

Piper stirred slightly on the floor and finally opened one eye. "Why the hell am I on the floor?" She grumbled, trying to lift up her head. A sharp pain throbbed through her temple and she groaned in pain. Draco reached down and helped her to sit up.

"Oh Merlin my head hurts," she said, holding her head gingerly. "Hey!" She said sharply, turning a mutinous look at Draco, finally recalling the events from moments ago. "Bloody bastard. I'm going to kill you for that prank you pulled."

The angry expression on Piper's face coupled with the silly position she was in on the floor caused Draco to burst out laughing. "You should've seen your face though." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Honestly, it was all in good fun. I wouldn't have done it if I had known you were going to faint over it."

Narrowing her eyes, Piper snorted in distrust. "It's not funny."

Draco gave her a wry smile. "Think about it. You went ballistic over a dummy head," he stood up and grabbed the fake, bloody Draco head and put it next to his own. "If that's not funny, you don't have a sense of humor."

Piper sighed and rolled her eyes. "That head is filled with sawdust, just like yours. Anyone could mistake the two." Draco grumbled and she smiled coyly. "What? I'm just being honest." Her giggles turned into a clear laugh. "Alright, alright. Looking back, I guess it was kind of funny." She looked at the pile of dummies still lying on the floor. "You really fooled me into thinking Crabbe and Goyle were helping you."

Draco shrugged and grinned. "I figured it would seem more possible than just me."

Piper gave him an impressed once-over. "For a kid, that's not half bad. How did you make my seat levitate though? I never saw you take out your wand."

Ignoring her jab about his age he replied, "I learned how to do silent spells last year. It comes in handy sometimes, especially for tricks like this."

"I'm jealous. I never had a chance to learn that spell. I might force you to teach me." It suddenly hit her how easily they were talking with each other. "Draco, it's hard to believe, but I think we just became friends."

Draco looked startled for a moment and looked at her curiously. "I'll never admit that in front of anyone, I hope you know. It would ruin my reputation." He sounded annoyed, but his small grin gave him away.

"Like I would risk telling Potter that you and I are chummy now?" She replied. "No one outside of this room will ever know." She suddenly realized the time and jumped to her feet. "Crap, I left MacMillan sitting at the Three Broomsticks."

Draco snorted a laugh. "Of course he'll be missing you. You'll want to take him out on a walk and make sure he does his business too."

"Your sense of humor astounds me," she replied sarcastically. "It's sad your looks don't match your wittiness," she added thoughtlessly.

At first Draco felt insulted, but once he thought about it, he realized what she was saying. "So, you think I'm attractive?"

"What? N-No!" She stuttered, turning a bright shade of red.

He approached her slowly, enjoying the way her breathing quickened with with each step and bent his head low. "Are you sure about that?"

His breath was sweet, just like she remembered from the night of the ball and his grey eyes seemed to bore directly into her. She had never seen a man act this feral before and she couldn't help but feel a little turned on by it. "No..," she breathed, trying to focus her mind. "I mean yes, yes I'm sure. Oh look at the time, I'm going to go now," she said hurriedly, side-stepping him and sprinting out the front door leaving an amused Draco chuckling in her wake. "You can start brain-storming on how to get information from Potter!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"What took you so long?" Ernie whined as soon as Piper re-entered the pub. "I've been so lonely without you," he slurred, giving her a long, blank stare.

Piper looked at the table now littered with empty glasses. "It looks like you've been keeping yourself entertained with butterbeer?"

Ernie gave her a sly wink and pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey. "I got this from my friend Ryan who snuck it from his dad. Want a sip?"

"I'm fine. I'm think you've had enough for the both of us," she said irritably. She was happy she finally noticed how droll Erine really was. He reminded her of her dad- narcissistic, simple and vocal. "I think I'm going to go."

"No no," he cried, blocking her in her seat. "You just got back. We have so many things left to do. You're looking so pretty, I was hoping I could take you to some place romantic and secluded." His voice turned husky and suggestive.

Piper threw him a nasty stare. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I'll just let you enjoy your evening and get back to the castle to enjoy being alone." She made a move to slide out again, but Ernie was urgent and pushy this time.

"No really, I want to take you someplace nice. You can't leave now." He grabbed her wrists and pushed her back. His breath smelled of alcohol and sugar, it made Piper choke.

Draco entered the pub and looked around casually, searching for Piper and Ernie so he could entertain himself. He spotted them in a far-back booth talking heatedly. He noticed that piper looked angry and startled and Ernie looked down-right pissed.

"Ernie let me go, you're hurting me," Piper growled at him, trying to pull her wrists free.

"Let me give you a goodbye kiss," he had a one track mind. "Just one tiny kiss, that's the only reason I've wanted to go on a date with you." He captured her chin and pulled her face towards his.

'SMACK'. Ernie staggered back, the force of the slap leaving a bright red mark on his face. The impact stung Piper's hand and she shook it vigorously to get circulation back. "I'm leaving," she pushed him aside and stomped through the room, enduring many side-long stares from others.

Once outside, tears began pouring down her cheeks and she ran for cover in an ally nearby. She usually didn't let people bother her that way, she was above it, but she had trusted Ernie to be a gentleman and he proved to be the exact opposite. No man made her feel safe, her father being a prime example. He was always too busy to actually listen to her or nurture her the way a father should, that had been his wife's responsibility - a responsibility which he never picked up after her death.

"You look like a banshee," Piper jumped at the quiet voice. "Calm down, it's me."

"Are you following me?" Draco's embarrassed shift gave him away. "Oh, so you saw what happened." She wiped her hands across her eyes to dry the tears. "I guess everyone at school will find out, won't they?"

Draco shrugged, not really caring if the school knew or not. "Look, are you okay?" He seemed honestly concerned.

"I'm fine. The guy's an idiot and he got what he deserved." She took a deep breath and relaxed, clearing her mind and her emotions. After a couple of minutes she inhaled again and asked, "What do you want?"

"I actually thought of a plan to get Potter to spill," he seemed proud of his brain-work. "It's actually funny because your scene with MacMillan will work in perfectly."

"And what is this brilliant plan you have?" She asked curiously, wondering how exactly her humiliating situation with Ernie would be of any help.

"You're going to date Potter of course." He stated it shortly as though it were an obvious plan.

Piper stared then grinned then laughed like a loon. "Are you insane? That's the worst idea I've ever heard! Can you imagine what Snape or," she dropped her voice to barely a whisper, "the Dark Lord would say to that plan? They'd have both of our heads on a stick."

Draco, unmoved, continued to stare at her stonily. "Don't give me that look. You've gone mad. It could never work, I'm not that good of an actress."

"You don't get it. It would be easy. You're already on their good side. Just act interested and drop hints to the mud-blood Granger. With that idiot Weasley you'll have to be completely see-through about your desires for Potter." He paused when he noticed Piper giving him a funny look. "What?"

"Do you realize how creepy you sound right now? What do you do, sit around all day staring at Potter and his friends?"

"Fuck off. I notice things," he spat irritably.

"Like how Potter and his friends act around each other?" She asked, unbelieving, "I'll bet you did a lot of noticing to find that out." Draco began to turn a light shade of magenta. "Oh wait, I know. You're secretly attracted to Granger, right? Once you get rid of the poofy hair, she's really quite pretty isn't she?

"I wouldn't know," Draco growled, displeased with the turn of conversation.

"Right of course," she mocked. "You wouldn't know at all."

"Stupid females," he grunted, pushing her in the shoulder. "Can you shut up now? I have an actual plan and here you are shitting on me like you don't care."

Piper swallowed her giggle and nodded, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Whatever. Like I was saying, Potter trusts his friends more than anyone, so you'll have to get to them first." He ended his speech theatrically.

Piper mused over the plan, beginning to understand where he was coming from. He made a good point that Potter seemed to share everything with his close friends, and since she couldn't expect to become a close friend in such short notice, she would have to settle with being his girlfriend and get into his good graces in half the time. Unfortunately it would also be twice the work.

"Merlin if my mum could be here to see me dating Harry Potter," Piper began with a derisive snort, "I would never hear the end of how excited she was." A hollow pang rippled through her chest and she inhaled sharply, trying to push the long-buried pain back into its hiding place. She covered up her dry sob with a cough and looked up at Draco stoically. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. If our 'advisors' decides to cut off my head, I'm bringing you down with me."

Draco rolled his eyes at her dramatic speech. "Fine by me, but he likes my family better than yours." A flurry of snow from the clouds overhead followed this comment. "We'd better get back to the castle before we become snowmen."

"Yes Mr. Malfoy," Piper agreed, pulling her arms close around her body. "Why the hell did I forget to buy a snow cap?" She murmured, trying to shrink into her sweater and cover her frozen ears.

"Bloody freaking Americans can't dress for snow," Draco scoffed behind her. A cap slid over her head snugly and she turned to find Draco's Slytherin cap mysteriously missing.

"It's a good thing I'm not a Gryffindor or people would be very angry about this cap," she chortled, pulling the hat down further so that it rested just above her eyebrows.

Draco chuckled in response. "You're right. You'd better give it back before you start flirting with Potter at dinner tonight."

"Oh Merlin, I don't know how to flirt. I'm not exactly the most beautiful girl at the school," she cast a shy glance at Draco to see his reaction. "Doesn't he have a crush on some girl named Chang?"

Attempting to sound uninterested, Draco gave her a once-over and smiled. "Let's put it this way, you're pretty enough to get Potter."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She cried, slightly saddened by his response. "Draco Malfoy you're such a dick."

Another chapter done! Who doesn't love a little bit of stalking by Draco? I hope to have the next chapter up in about 3 days. ~Kukaburry


	11. Chapter 11

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

-Harry Potter Disclaimer-I do not own HP. I invented Piper.

Chapter 11

* * *

Piper left Draco at the door of the castle with his cap and walked to dinner alone. At the entrance, she bit her lip nervously. What was she supposed to say? She never really cared for guys much growing up, most of her classmates at her old school made fun of her for her disinterestedness.

She saw Harry sit down next to Ron and made a beeline for them. Taking Draco's advice, she worked up a miserable face and plopped down across from them. "Hey Piper, what's with the face?" Ron piped up, looking her over curiously.

"I had a miserable day with Ernie. He's not as nice as you guys think," she spoke low and didn't make eye contact with either of them.

"What did he do?" Harry asked urgently, leaning forward over his plate.

"Piper! I just heard some Ravenclaws saying that you smacked Ernie in the face!" Hermione whispered as she ran over and sat down next to her. "What happened with you guys?"

Piper tried to suppress her grin and exhaled loudly, starting her story. Once she was done both Ron and Harry looked mutinous. "Come on Harry, let's go kick his arse," Ron growled, standing up and looking around for Ernie. Harry nodded in agreement, brow furrowed angrily.

"It looks like someone beat you to it," Hermione observed, watching as Ernie entered the hall with a black eye and bloody lip.

'Who the hell did that?' Piper wondered, looking around for someone else that looked disheveled from a fight. She turned her head and saw Draco, hair askew, smirk at her from his seat. 'Of course he did.'

"Well whoever it was, I'll give him all of the chocolate frogs I can buy," Harry mused, looking up and smiling at Piper shyly. This time Piper had to duck her head and pretend to cough to hold back her laugh at the idea of Harry finding out Draco beat up Ernie. "Are you alright?" Harry asked, looking perplexed by her sudden coughing fit.

"I''m fine," she choked, "I just breathed wrong." All three looked at her oddly, but dismissed it quickly afterwards once her coughing settled down. "I love this mince pie, it's very good today. How is yours Harry?" She made a mild attempt to flirt with him.

"Um, it's very, mince piey," he replied, unsure of how to answer such a strange question. "It's better than my aunt could make, but not better than Ron's mum." Ron nodded his head in agreement with Harry.

"It must be nice having a home-cooked meal," she sighed, not realizing what she was saying or who she was talking to. She began thinking back to when she was five and her mom was cooking a Christmas dinner for them.

'Daddy will be home soon sweetheart,' her mother said for the fifth time that night, 'He got called in for an important meeting. He's a very important man you know, he's trying to get a promotion. We'll always be his number one though.' She had always believed her mother.

She snapped out of her reverie and noticed a couple of questioning stares. "Oh, I just, I haven't had a real family dinner since my mum died," she admitted gingerly. "It's not like the Minister of Magic has the time to cook, right?" She said this in a joking way, but her voice held underlying malice.

"It must be hard being the minister's daughter sometimes," Hermione said, patting her on the back consolingly. "I'm sure once he retires, he'll be the best cook ever."

"You're right, I'm sure he will," Piper lied, trying to hide her contempt. After falling silent and pushing her food around her plate, Piper feigned sleep and said her good nights to the trio. She escaped as quickly as she could to the dormitories.

Raven, the only person in the dorm room, looked up from her book. "I haven't seen you in here in a while," she stated obviously. "Are you hiding from someone?" She asked curiously.

Trying not to let the sight of Raven with a book distract her, Piper sighed and sat down on her bed. "Only a little," she admitted. "I just want to sleep through a night for once."

Raven stared at her for a moment longer and shrugged. "Ok, Pansy is gone for the weekend, so I think you'll be okay," a hint of a grin appeared on her lips and Piper responded with her own smirk.

"That's good news. If someone tries to get me, just tell them to go away," she spoke before pulling her bed-hangings closed.

"I can do that," Raven laughed, returning to her book. An hour later Raven pulled Piper's bed-hangings open. "Someone wants you."

Piper sat up groggily, confused about her whereabouts. "Wait, what?" She asked, rubbing her eyes clear. "Didn't I tell you to send them away?"

Raven looked at her, unmoved. "This person says that you'll make an exception for him," she yawned, clearly bored by the idea. "Honestly, it's only 9pm and it's the weekend." Piper didn't enjoy being chastised by a girl curled up in a bed reading a book on the weekend.

"Fine," she growled, opening the dorm door to find Draco sitting outside leisurely. He eyed her black silk pajamas curiously. "Oh, it's you," she tried to sound uninspired by his presence and flicked a piece of hair behind her ear. "What can I do for you?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Raven peeking her head up from behind her book.

"Well you should get dressed and come with me," he saw Raven eavesdropping and spoke up louder. "We're holding a quidditch practice for the game next week, Flint just went down there to meet us." He gave her a purposeful nod and turned on his heel.

"They hold quidditch practices at night?" Raven asked dubiously.

Piper held back a grimace and walked back to her chest. "Yeah, sometimes. The stadium has the floating lights for a reason." She pulled on a knitted sweater and a skirt. "I guess I'll see you a little bit later." Raven waved awkwardly as the door closed.

Taking the steps two at a time, Piper barely managed not to ram into Draco who stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Shit, where'd you come from." She panted, holding her chest from fright.

"You're like a troll running down the stairs. You can't find your own balance," he muttered. Ignoring his jab, she rolled her eyes and walked towards the exit. He quickly caught up with her and asked quietly, "Do you know where we're going?"

She threw him a side-long glance. "I thought we were going to the quidditch pitch," she said in her most innocently stupid voice.

His demeanor changed from light to disheartened. "Are you telling me that you couldn't tell I was making that up?" He asked cautiously with a disbelieving stare plastered on his face.

"Draco," she shivered as his name came off of her lips, "I screwing with you. I'm insulted that you even thought I would be that dumb."

He shrugged in defense. "I don't know you that well yet. Maybe you really are that dumb and you just don't know it." A tiny smirk gave away his true thoughts. When she didn't respond, he took her arm lightly and steered her around the corner. "We're going to be sneaking up to the astronomy tower. It's warmer there than outside."

Piper snorted. "Yeah, by a degree at most."

"Would you rather we have our discussion in the common room for everyone to hear?" He asked with a knowing look.

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. "As long as we don't go out in the snow." Several quiet minutes later, they arrived in the astronomy tower. The faint glow of the crescent moon filtered in softly through the window, landing on the paving stones making the sand glisten like small stars.

"Hey, thanks, by the way," Piper said while sitting down on a stool. "For what you did to Ernie."

"That guy's a prick anyways, he had it coming," Draco said gruffly, trying to look cool and calm.

Piper took that a sign that he was embarrassed and didn't continue the conversation. "So, I'm guessing there's a reason you called me up here?"

Trying to put off the inevitable as long as he could, Draco went with a safe subject to begin with. "How'd it go with Potter?"

Expecting something more formidable, Piper sighed in relief. "Oh right, it was okay." She muttered delicately. "I didn't really get a chance to do anything. I'm really not good at flirting."

He studied her for a moment, grey eyes wandering over the exposed skin of her neck. "Why not?"

Knowing that the story of her father was off-limits, Piper scrounged for a plausible explanation. "Because I don't really like guys."

"So you like girls?" He asked quizzically.

"No!" She said too hastily. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but no, I'm not a lesbian."

A smug grin settled on his mouth. "Good."

"What does that mean?"

Coughing quickly, he shrugged. "Nothing. Okay, you just need to practice flirting."

"Are you the resident expert on flirting?"

He raised a brow at her. "Yes. I don't need to flirt to make girls attracted to me," he said slyly.

A dark splash of red rose up her cheeks at his comment. "Shut up you prat. Just tell me what I need to do."

Still grinning from the effect of his words on her, Draco took a long breath and cracked his knuckles. "You just have to pretend to be interested in him. You have to act sexy in front of him. Make him want you."

"I can do that," she replied hesitantly. "Hold on stand there for a second. I'm going to try something I read in a magazine once." She took a step back and turned around. A moment later, she turned back around to reveal a sultry look and pouty lips. She was trying to contact her inner 'smoky eye'. "Is this a good look?" She asked in a low, sexy voice.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Draco stepped away from her. "I don't want to pretend to be Potter." He lied.

Slightly disappointed, Piper returned to the stool and crossed her legs. "But did it work? I need something to go on. How am I supposed to attract Potter if I can't even tell if my looks are working."

"It was fine." He said evasively, needing a change in conversation. "I received a letter from my father earlier."

"Oh." She stated nonchalantly. Ever since their last encounter in the dorm room, she didn't want to see Mr. Malfoy's face ever again. "What'd he say?"

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, Draco tried to phrase his next sentence delicately. "Well, he wanted to know how everything was going."

"That's nice of him," Piper said sarcastically.

"Yeah," he continued slowly. He pulled on his finger nervously and flicked his eyes up to meet Piper. There was no good way of saying the next part of his news. He drew a deep breath and pressed on in a neutral tone. "He also said that he wants you to spend Christmas with us."

* * *

Finally another update. I realized I already had half of this chapter written. Silly, silly me. Thanks to all of my adorable readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ~Kukaburry


	12. Chapter 12

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Chapter 12

-

She stared into his solid grey eyes dramatically. He seemed so neutral when he said it; she wondered what he was thinking. Break was only a week away, this was so sudden. Did he want her to come? Was it his father's idea or another person's? She gauged him for another minute before licking her lips and replying, "No."

Draco blinked, unsure that Piper had even heard what he said. "No?"

"No. I will not spend Christmas with your family." Piper said firmly, etchings of pent-up annoyance beginning to appear on her face. Her eyes were wide open and gleaming with defiance.

Draco leaned back against the chilled stone, trying to figure out why she responded so hastily and so forcefully. "Why?"

"Come on," Piper began in a condescending tone. "Do you remember what happened the last time we saw your father?"

Maroon blushes swept over his pale cheeks. "Right. I remember." Neither could forget their awkward moment in the common room. "He seemed pretty steady about his request," he insisted.

"I don't care. I'm not at your father's bidding," she reminded him with a dark look. "And neither are you."

With a casual smile still secure on his face, Draco asked, "Would you come if I asked you?" Piper glowered at him, wondering if he was trying to trick her again. "What's with that look?" He didn't understand why she looked so angry.

"I would still have to see your dad. That's reason enough for me not to go," she said evasively. She eyed him curiously now, wondering what he was really thinking. A chill shimmied up her spine and she visibly shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Draco asked, taking a step forward involuntarily, not entirely sure why he had gotten up to help so quickly.

Face heating, Piper covered her arms and shook her head. "I'm fine." Every nerve in her body sent subtle signs to her brain that she was insanely turned on right now. Pleasant warmth floated around her stomach and her heart began beating at a higher rate. His smell of soap and something muskier enveloped her and the goose bumps worsened.

Noticing her hesitation, Draco sidled forward boldly, closing any distance they had between them. "Then why are you shivering?" He asked in a husky voice and leaned forward dominantly.

How could he affect her this way? His presence turned her mind into slush. "I-I don't know." She mumbled.

A glimmer appeared in Draco's eyes and he leaned in ever further. Their lips were merely a hair's breadth away from each other. "You don't want to come because of me, am I right?" His bottom lip brushed her upper lip as he spoke.

Piper blinked and refocused her eyes and inhaled sharply. "No. You're wrong." She said in a bold voice, staring him down with all the might she could muster.

"Then what are you afraid of?" He goaded while continuing to remain expressionless.

A nervous breath escaped her and she sneered to try and cover it up. "Nothing. I'm not afraid of anything. Tell your father I'll see him at Christmas." She finished one octave higher than she began. She pushed him away and ran back down the stairs before he had a chance to react. 'What the hell did I just agree to?' She screamed in her head. 'I'm a fucking masochist!'

Piper entered the Slytherin chambers quietly and sank into her bed. "Hey are you awake?" Robyn's head popped her head through the bed hangings.

"Merlin's pants don't scare me like that. What do you want?"

Robyn hunched down, crawled onto the edge of the bed and stared at Piper with bug eyes. "Are you and Draco dating?"

Every ounce of blood drained out of Piper's face and she began to wonder why Robyn would even ask that. "What the hell are you talking about? No!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she whispered conspiratorially while leaning in. "Half of the girls in our year have slept with him and everyone else wants to sleep with him. My mum had a go with his dad back in the day. The Malfoy's are basically every girl's wet dream."

"Wait, half of the girls in our year?" Piper's eyes widened in shock and disgust. "Why would I want to date a guy who's slept with that many girls?"

Robyn rolled her eyes as though Piper were a child. "Have you heard the stories about him? He can make any girl scream. Come on, I've seen the way you look at him. I know you guys didn't go out to the quidditch pitch this late at night."

"Well, we did," Piper said angrily. "Stop trying to make it something more." The last thing she wanted was for a rumor to spread around about her and Draco, especially if she wanted to snag Harry. "I like someone else for your information."

"If you say Ernie, I already heard about how you slapped him." Robyn said quickly with a superior smile.

"No, not Ernie. I like Harry Potter." Why did she suddenly feel nauseous? "Yeah, I like Harry Potter." She said more firmly, trying to convince herself more than Robyn.

Robyn looked as though she just ate a bag of sour lemons. "What?" It came out like a creeping chill. "I knew you were hanging around him, but I didn't know you actually liked him. That's just gross."

"Who are you to tell me who I can and can't like?" Piper asked in an equally chilly tone.

Brushing a strand of hair away from her dulled eyes, Robyn replied in a sneering voice, "I'm a Slytherin and Slytherins do not 'like' Gryffindors. Especially not Harry Potter. I'm allowed to tell you what I think."

"Fine, but that's not going to stop me from liking him," she snapped. "Please leave me alone now, I'm going to sleep." She hoped her dismissive tone got through to Robyn. Luckily Robyn did not make another reply and simply snorted in annoyance and stomped away from the bed. The bed-hangings fluttered angrily for a moment then settled back in place.

"See if I protect you from the other girls now," Robyn's voice floated from across the room. "They're not going to be happy when they hear about this."

"So don't fucking tell them," Piper mumbled under her breath. She laid back and stared up at the fabric hanging above her head wondering what she would face in the morning. She muttered her usual protective spells to ward off the light fingers of her fellow fifth years before falling asleep.

-

"She said she liked Harry Potter."

"What a traitor."

"I knew she was touched in the head."

"And she expects to sleep in our dorm? What a joke."

Whispers followed Piper all the way downstairs into the common room the next morning. Raven must have been busy for the news to spread this quickly. It was almost similar to the first day she had arrived when Draco had led his cronies into hating her. Her eyes snapped up at the thought of Draco and she sought out his face in the crowd. Leaning against the entrance, Draco stared her down with an unpleasant smirk.

"What are you looking at?" She asked defensively.

"I'm just having fun watching you flounder," he replied evenly. "You should have known this is how people were going to react. We are in Slytherin."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," she said dryly and walked past him without another word. The idea of facing Potter was now a humiliating thought. What if he found her completely disgusting? What if he had a crush on someone else? What if he tried to kiss her? That last thought made her shiver, repulsed. If anyone could kiss her it would be... 'No, no, no. Stop right there. I'm not thinking about kissing anyone!'

She shook her head clear and entered the Great Hall. Hesitating for a moment, she wondered whether she should sit next to Harry or sit at the Slytherin table.

"Sit next to him," she heard someone whisper next to her. Looking over, she watched Draco's retreating form and found herself smiling involuntarily. As she approached the Gryffindor table, she noticed Ron and Hermione exchange significant glances and Harry's face tinged a slight pink hue.

"Good morning," she said to the group lamely as she sat down next to Harry. They nodded at her warmly and went back to their respective conversations. "Hey Harry," she said with as much shyness as she could muster.

His voice cracked for a second then he coughed and turned towards her. "Hey Piper." They sat there silently for a couple of minutes, each eating small mouthfuls of bacon and eggs. "So I've been hearing some interesting things this morning."

"Yeah, I'm sure you have," she replied evasively.

He looked at her carefully. "Should I listen to them?"

Piper blushed and shrugged. "I mean, if you want. It's up to you."

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron for guidance, but both looked away quickly and pretended to listen to Fred and George tells a story. "Erm, do you want to take a walk around the lake? I heard that the Giant Squid has been trying to knock over a tree."

Piper blew out a rush of air and smiled pleasantly, trying to scare away her jitters. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

As they exited the hall, Piper glanced over to the Slytherin table to try and see Draco's reaction. She found him looking at her through his eyelashes, mouth set in a tight line. 'Well that's not quite what I expected,' she thought nervously. 'He should be happy, the idiot.'

The crisp air immediately knocked all thoughts of Draco from her mind as they set out towards the lake. "I'm sorry if you're embarrassed," she said conversationally.

"Embarrassed by what? You?" Harry asked, curious.

"Well, yeah. Having a Slytherin with a crush on you and now the entire school knows. I would be embarrassed if it happened to me."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, I'm not embarrassed," he said with a blush, "I'm just curious why you went out with Ernie if you liked me."

'To get your attention,' she said to herself. "Because I didn't think you'd ever like someone like me. Like I said, I'm a Slytherin and you're a Gryffindor. We don't exactly mix well."

"I'd hardly call you a Slytherin. You're probably the nicest Slytherin Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I don't know about that, but thanks. You're pretty sweet yourself, Harry." 'Gag. This romantic crap is going to kill me.'

They reached the lake moments later and watched as several tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed onto a large tree leaning precariously over the lake. "So, what are you doing for winter break? Are you going back home?"

"Oh, ah, no. I'm not going home," she said in a slightly panicked tone. "I'm staying at a friend's place in Eastbourne."

"That's great," Harry said enthusiastically, "That's where my... erm," he paused momentarily as though trying to figure out how to describe something, "the place I'm staying is near there." He searched her face for recognition. "If you're interested, you can come and visit. I have to warn you about something first."

Piper looked up at him expectantly, wondering what he could possibly be talking about. "I have to confess something about the place I'm staying. It belongs to my godfather, Sirius Black." Piper tried to screw her face into a look of surprise. "Yeah, he's actually innocent you know. I can tell you about it some time. He's actually the closest thing I have to family." Piper looked away to give Harry some privacy. She realized how similar they were when it came to family. Neither of them had anybody to depend upon, and she felt jealous of Harry's feelings for Sirius. "So, what do you think?"

"Well," she began cautiously planning her response. "I trust you Harry. If you say Black is innocent, then I believe you. I'd love to come visit you at your Godfather's place." Harry's face broke into a smile. "Will Ron and Hermione be there too?"

Harry nodded. "I think all of the Weasleys will be there. They know about Black too." Piper nearly jumped into the frigid lake in celebration. Her plan was going to be simpler than she had ever imagined. Who said she wasn't the best spy for the job? A warmth near her hand caught her off-guard as she realized that Harry had slipped his hand into hers. A sudden image of Draco popped into her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing her mind to stop vividly detailing Draco's face. She swallowed and looked up at Harry's expectant face then smiled reassuringly and squeezed his hand lightly.

"I'm looking forward to meeting your Godfather, Harry."

-

Lookie thar my lovely readers. It's another chapter and it's only... *looks at watch*... oh who cares about the time, right? Heh .. heh .. *nervous glance*. Guys? Hello?


	13. Chapter 13

Simply Irresistible

By Kukaburry

Chapter 13

Piper and Harry split ways an hour later. They hugged awkwardly and Harry turned around to head back to his dormitories to prepare for quidditch practice. He asked Piper to come and watch, but then figured that no one would appreciate having a Slytherin rival watch their practice.

Upon entering the common room, Piper was happy to find that it was completely silent. She picked up a random book off the pile and sat down near the fire. "So, it looked like you had a good time with Potter."

Piper started and saw Draco descending the stairs casually. "Are you jealous?" She asked half-jokingly.

"Yeah, right. If you haven't already heard I can get whatever girl I want." He replied dismissively. "You looked very chummy with Potter, too chummy if you ask me." His voice implied something sinister.

"That was the whole idea," she snapped back irritably. She didn't understand why she felt so defensive around him. "You're being ridiculous."

Draco clenched his fist, repressing his anger. "So are you going to let Potter snog you? Are you going to let him take you to his bed?" He stepped forward, hovering over her shrinking form. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Why do you care? It's not affecting you."

"Like hell it's not. I can't let you shag Potter and still call myself a Slytherin."

Piper stood up forcefully and stared him down. "I'll thank you to stay out of my business. You may be my partner, but I'm the one who can settle this whole thing," she bit out savagely. "He's already invited me to visit his Godfather's house during the break if you'd like to know."

Still seething in anger, Draco barked out a cruel laugh. "Good luck with that. I'll be they have a thousand charms that will keep you out of the house."

Piper gnashed her teeth together and stomped around Draco. "You know what, I think I will shag Harry. Just to piss you off! I'll do it in his Godfather's bedroom too," she added for good measure. Draco's hand snaked around her wrist and pulled her back abruptly and her heart hammered against her ribs. She peered up at him nervously through her eyelashes and saw an intense glimmer in his eyes. "Why do you care so much?" She breathed the question between them. It hung in the air like frost.

He stared at her for a moment longer then dropped her arm quickly. "I don't."

Every nerve in Piper's body tingled for several minutes after Draco left. It felt like every time she was near him, her body reacted completely beyond her comprehension. There was something completely unknown to her that lurked behind his rigid smile and Merlin help her, she wanted to know what it was.

Knowing that Christmas break was only days away, Piper tried to throw herself into learning things about Sirius Black from Harry and it resulted in completely ignoring Draco. Every time he attempted to talk to her, she found an excuse for ditching him. She became paranoid that Harry might see her talking to Draco, so she always kept a lookout for him while hanging around with Harry. It surprised her how difficult it was to keep up her charade around him when all she could think about was the red crystal Sirius Black had in his possession. Finally, on the day of her departure, she sighed in relief the moment she stepped onto the train. She had given Harry a warm goodbye hug and received final details on when to meet him at his Godfather's house.

A few people roamed around the corridor so Piper walked down the passage in search of Draco. She figured now would be a good time to talk with him before they arrived at his parent's house. It look a couple of minutes, but she finally found him sitting alone in a compartment near the end.

Draco barely glanced over before rolling his eyes and returning to the book in his hands. "So you're finally going to talk to me? Or are you here to act like even more of a bitch?"

Piper bristled at his comment. "It's not my fault you wouldn't leave me alone this week, you prick. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep in character without you trailing behind me?"

"I wouldn't know," he replied icily. "You fucking blew me off every time I tried to talk to you."

"Don't be a pussy, Draco." She mocked with a sinister sneer. "I didn't realize how easily the Slytherin prince's feelings got hurt."

"Do you want me to hex you right now?" He asked challengingly, clearly set on arguing the rest of the trip to London.

"I'd like to see you try." She snapped up her wand, ready for any spell he shot at her.

The door slid open with a bang and Pansy walked in, completely unaware of the hostile situation at hand. "Oh Drakey, I thought I'd missed you. Here you are..." she cast a glare at Piper, "With that mudblood lover. Really, what were you thinking?"

"She came to harass me," Draco lied smoothly. "You can leave now." He stated pointedly at Piper who tensed and gripped her wand with incredible force. "Go on, get the fuck out."

"No." She shouted louder than necessary and Pansy sniggered. "I'll stay if I want to stay you pompous asshole."

Draco shrugged and turned his attention back to Pansy. Piper finished the ride in infuriated silence and stomped off the train when she was met by a meek-looking man servant. Malfoy exited the train gracefully and snapped orders at the servant before walking towards the fireplace and staring purposefully over his shoulder at Piper, making it obvious that they would be flooing to Malfoy manor.

Piper stepped out of the fireplace and dusted herself off quickly, wanting to look respectable for Draco's parents. They were, after all, playing host to her. A haggard and fragile looking woman entered the living room and gave Piper a quick once-over. "So, you're Piper. Welcome to my home. I hope you will be comfortable in the room we've provided for you." She watched Draco stiffen his spine next to her. "My husband and I are going out for the evening so our servant Watkins will show you everything. Help her out, Draco my dear." She added with a small wave of her hand and she disappeared around the corner again. Not a moment later Piper heard the door slam.

"Is that normal?" She asked Draco quietly.

He glanced over at her quickly and replied, "Yes. Watkins, show Piper her room." Draco turned away dismissively and went up the grand staircase in the front hall. 'This is going to be fun.' She thought gloomily.

"Miss, please follow me." Watkins said in a trembling voice. He took her up the stairs and stopped at the second door on the left. "This will be your room, miss. The masters are all the way near the end and young master is two doors down. I hope you find it comfortable. Dinner will be served at seven."

Piper felt rushed and uneasy. Everyone had left her so suddenly that she felt disoriented and wanted nothing more than to lie down. She unpacked her trunk and sat down on the feather-soft bed. Her room was very bright due to fragments of sunlight streaming in from the picture window. While reaching for the shades, she spotted a beautiful section of gardens. The sky looked threatening, but she figured she had a couple of minutes to spare.

Without asking for permission, Piper stole out of her room and traipsed down the stairs silently. Thunder rumbled overhead, spurring her movements. She slowed as soon as she came to a small fountain surrounded by large rose bushes. The water had a thin layer of ice over it and Piper had the urge to step on it and watch the ice splinter beneath her toes. She walked halfway around the fountain and stopped when she saw Draco sprawled in the grass. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously, momentarily forgetting how much of an ass he had been.

"I'm minding my own damn business," he replied while glaring at her with one eye.

"Can you talk to me for one second, or are you going to be an ass for the whole trip? Why did you invite me here?"

Draco snorted. "I didn't invite you here, my father did. I don't care if you're here or not."

Piper looked at him for a minute then sat down on the ground next to him. "You know, my dad is a lot like yours. He never gave a shit about anyone but himself."

"You don't know a damn thing about my parents," he snapped. "Don't pretend like you have any idea."

"Are you really pissed off because of Potter?"

"Of course I bloody well am. He's fucking Harry Potter and you're dating him."

Piper snapped her fingers over his head. "Idiot, I'm pretending to date Potter. Are you that thick that you think I like him for real?"

"How should I know? You lie to everyone." The comment was like a punch in Piper's gut. Several large drops of rain fell from the sky and smacked her in the head followed by a heavy wind that blew her hair around. Draco smirked and stood up, outlined by a large bolt of lightening that fizzled across the sky. "You're nothing but a sad liar who doesn't comprehend reality."

Piper jumped to her feet, squelching with the downpour of rain, and ran after Draco. "That's out of order!" She screamed at him, racing behind him up the stairs. "You are just jealous of Harry, like I said."

Draco turned and took in the sight of her, wet clothes clinging to every curve of her body. "How am I supposed to know if you like Potter? Can you prove it otherwise?" He challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

Finally fed up with trying to make rational decisions, Piper made the ultimate check mate move. She took a determined step forward and yanked his face down to meet hers. They stood there, lips locked together, for an impossibly long time. Piper came to her senses and attempted to pull away. Draco locked his arms around her waist and pushed her against the wall, covering her entire body with his own. "So that's it," he mumbled against her lips.

One of his hands slid up her side and cupped her cheek. "You should have told me," he teased darkly.

"Shut up," she panted, pulling his mouth down for another kiss. She tasted the salt on his lips and opened her lips desperately, searching for what she wanted from him. He met her kiss, stroke for stroke and pressed her even harder against the wall, wanting to be as close to her as possible.

As a moan escaped Piper's lips, Draco pulled back and tugged her towards his door. She followed him wantonly and didn't even care when she heard the door lock behind them. Draco carefully peeled off his wet green shirt and started towards Piper. She looked down and noticed that she was dripping all over his floor so she deftly pulled her wet shirt and trousers off leaving herself in her underwear. Draco raked his eyes over her appreciatively and bent down to capture her mouth in another kiss.

He backed her up until her legs bumped against the bottom of the bed and she reflexively sat down without breaking lip contact. She brazenly grabbed his waistband and pulled him down with her onto the silky blue sheets. The bed seemed to swallow her as she scooted back to a comfortable position, and Draco hovered over her taking the sight below him. He used his hands to explore every inch of her body, leaving burning trails of desire up and down her torso.

She pushed against his chest and rolled him over so that she straddled him. His grey eyes opened in mild shock, but slowly softened as he felt the weight of her press against him. His trousers suddenly felt extremely restrictive as her hands passed from his shoulders down to the hem of his pants and maintained their position, stroking softly. For someone so inexperienced, she knew exactly what she wanted. He reached around and began unfastening her bra when a loud knock jolted them out of their haze.

"Master Draco, dinner is ready. I cannot seem to find miss Piper, sir. I hope she is not outside in this weather."

Draco cleared his throat with a cough. "I'll be down in a minute Watkins." They heard the servant walk away and breathed a sigh of relief.

Piper's skin turned several hues brighter as she slid off of him and padded across the floor. "I'll meet you down there," she whispered with a sly smile. Right as she was closing the door, she looked at him from around the corner and said softly, "I told you I didn't like Potter."

It's a record folks! I felt like a heated moment was called for since you all were such good readers and patient with me and my insanity. I hope you enjoyed it :D. ~Kukaburry


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